February 2, 1848 to February 2, 2008, THE TREATY OF QUADALUPE HIDALGO, THEN AND TODAY. This will be posted March 8, 2008

NEGOTIATED BY:
Nicholas P. Trist on behalf of the United States, appointed by President James J. Polk.
Don Luis Gonzales Guevas, Don Bernardo Couto and Don Miguel Atristain as plenipoteniary representatives of Mexico.

NEGOTIATED AT: The Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo (today Gustavo A. Madero, D.F.)

RATIFICATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS:
On March 10, 1848 The United States Ratified The Treaty deleting Article X with Amendments.
On May 19, 1848 The Mexican Government Ratified The Treaty.
On May 30, 1848 the countries ratifications were duly exchanged at the city of Santiago de Queretaro.
On July 4, 1848 the United States Proclaimed The Treaty.
As a result of The Treaty, the United States gained Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, California, Nevada and Utah. The remained of Arizona and New Mexico were obtained in the Gadsten Purchase of 1853.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War which was from 1846-1848. Mexico ceded 525,000 square miles of land to the United States in exchange for 15 million in Mexican currency paid in five installments at six percent interest. And, the United States agreed to assume the 3.25 million in debts Mexico owed the American citizens.

Article X, which was deleted by the United States, stated that the United States government would honor and guarantee land grants awarded in the lands conquered by the United States to citizens of Spain and Mexico and Native Americans.

Article VIII guaranteed that Mexicans who stayed in the conquered lands more than one year would automatically become American citizens or they could declare if they wanted to be Mexican citizens. This Article VIII was further weakened by Article IX which was written into The Treaty by the United States Senate and stated that Mexican citizens would be admitted at a proper time which would be judged of by the Congress of The United States.

I personally believe Article VIII, Article IX and Article X are the keys to the immigration problem we are having with Mexico today.

Article X was deleted because the United States Constitution would have guaranteed Mexican and Native Americans living in the respective areas to keep their lands and that is why this article was deleted.

The latent effect of this Treaty has been happening in the United States for over the past 50 years whereby Mexicans are coming across the border to seek work and better their lives. It is very interesting that it is the poor and not to well off that are leaving Mexico and leaving the very rich and middle class to enjoy their country and expecting the United States to pay for what it does not want to pay for in hospitalizations, pregnancies, welfare and other support services.

If the latent effect of coming across the border to claim lands that were duly conquered and negotiated 160 years ago, six generations ago, is indeed a possibility it is comparable to some exiled Cubans thinking of trying to get their property back, after two generations, even after Castro's regime is finished. The legal presidence in both situations are different but the end result may be the same.

The fact that some parts of Texas were flying the Mexican flag above the United States flag does not surprise me anymore because of the latent effect of what has happened, but, it is not right and should be corrected as long as they live in the United States and no flag should fly higher than the United States flag in the United States.

REFERENCES;
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.historicaldocuments.com/
http://www.sfmuseum.org/
http://www.answers.com/
http://www.archives.gov/
http://www.fordham.edu/
http:memory.loc.gov
http:72.14.221.104