[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 24 (Tuesday, March 10, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E338-E339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF SENATE APPROVAL OF THE TREATY OF GUADALUPE 
                            HIDALGO IN 1848

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 10, 1998

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today--March 10th--marks one of the great 
historic occasions in the history of the United States, and it is a 
particularly significant anniversary for the people of the great State 
of California. Today is the 150th anniversary of the vote in the United 
States Senate in which that body approved the Treaty of Guadalupe 
Hidalgo by a vote of 38 to 14. That historic document marked the 
conclusion of the two-year war with Mexico.
  The treaty is also a tribute to American diplomacy and the creatively 
of Nicholas P. Trist, the chief clerk of the Department of State who 
was sent to Mexico by President James K. Polk at the end of 1847 with 
instructions ``to take advantage of circumstances as they might arise 
to negotiate a peace.'' After a lengthy delay, Trist was about to begin 
negotiations with Mexican representatives when the President sent 
instructions for Trist to return to Washington. Trist--convinced that 
he was on the verge of achieving all of the objectives that he was sent 
to achieve--ignored his instructions to return, continued his 
negotiations with Mexican officials, and concluded the treaty of 
Guadalupe Hidalgo, named after the place where it was completed.
  When Trist returned to Washington with the treaty, President Polk 
could find no fault with the document and, despite ``the exceptional 
conduct of Mr. Trist,'' submitted the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to 
the Senate for its advice and consent. It was this document which was 
approved by the Senate on March 10, 1848, which I invite my colleagues 
to join me in commemorating today, Mr. Speaker.
  The anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mr. Speaker, is 
an occasion for both celebration and for thoughtful reflection about 
the nature of our great nation.
  First, Mr. Speaker, it is an occasion for celebration because the 
treaty led to major changes that helped to define the United

[[Page E339]]

States as we know it today. Under terms of the treaty, 1.2 million 
square miles were added to the United States, and the United States 
government paid $15 million to the government of Mexico. Included in 
these new territories were the Mexican states of Upper California and 
New Mexico, which today comprise the entire state of California, plus 
most of New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada, as well as portions of Utah, 
Wyoming, and Colorado.
  The treaty also confirmed the Rio Grande River as the boundary 
between the State of Texas and Mexico. Texas had become an independent 
Republic in 1836, and, at the request of the majority Anglo American 
population, it was annexed to the United States in 1845. Questions 
regarding the boundary between Texas and Mexico were among the 
principle causes of the United States' war with Mexico.
  My home state of California has become the most populous state in our 
Union, with some 32 million residents--12 percent of the entire 
population of our country, considerably ahead of Texas (19 million) and 
New York (18 million). Furthermore, California has made significant 
contributions to the history, character, and culture of the United 
States. It has provided a number of prominent national leaders in 
science, medicine, education, entertainment, and many other fields, and 
our state has been the home state of two presidents of the United 
States.
  Mr. Speaker, this Sesquicentennial of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 
is also an occasion for us to reflect thoughtfully upon the cultural 
heritage of Hispanic Americans in the United States. Under terms of the 
treaty, residents of the land that was ceded to the United States who 
were Mexican citizens were permitted to chose American or Mexican 
citizenship, and it guaranteed the property rights of new Hispanic 
Americans by reaffirming land grants that had been made by Spain and 
Mexico before 1846. The treaty, however, did not define or affirm the 
language or cultural rights of these new American citizens of Hispanic 
background. In the half century after the approval of the Treaty, most 
states in the new territories that were added to the United States 
enacted laws limiting the participation of Hispanic participation in 
voting, the judicial process, and education. Other laws resulted in 
dispossessing many Hispanic Americans of their lands.
  Throughout most of the 150 years since the historic approval by the 
Senate of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Hispanic Americans have been 
subject to exclusion and marginalization. In recent times, however, 
this treaty has become a potent symbol as Hispanic Americans have 
affirmed their right to participate fully in American life. Again, Mr. 
Speaker, it is California that is a harbinger of the America of the 
twenty-first century. Hispanic Americans play an important role in the 
economic, political and social life of the State of California, and 
they bring a vitality and a healthy diversity to our state and to our 
nation. As California moves toward becoming a ``majority minority'' 
state, with Hispanic Americans the largest of our state's minority 
populations, it is my hope that Americans of all ethnic backgrounds can 
work together in contributing to the greatness that the rich diversity 
of our nation can produce.
  Mr. Speaker, as we mark the Sesquicentennial of the Senate's approval 
of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, it is my sincere wish that all of 
us as Americans will take this occasion to recommit ourselves to 
understanding, appreciating, and celebrating the depth and meaning of 
our historical past. It is also my hope, Mr. Speaker, that we will also 
recommit ourselves to the ideals of equality and diversity which have 
contributed so much to the richness and culture of our nation and of 
which this anniversary should remind us.

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