The Mexican War: The Treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo

When the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848 it ended a long battle called the Mexican War. This ended the most expensive and deadliest war in American history. With the treaty came a new border between Mexico and the United States. This left approximately 100,000 Mexicans in what was now considered U.S. territory. They were allowed to stay and occupy their land in the newly acquired area. They were even promised equal rights and protection, which were stated in the U.S. Constitution. However, because of the quickly increasing population of American immigrants they swiftly became seen as an inferior group. Because of the drastic change in population, the Mexicans were ridded of their economic and political influences.
Although

the Mexican American population was able to identify as American citizens, they still had to face the realization that they were losing their position in the regional economy. As the population of American immigrants increased, the Mexican American population became outnumbered and pressured for their land. Specifically in California, the discovery of gold was one of multiple findings that brought large groups of immigrants. The interest of gold in California started in 1848, but only lasted until the 1850s and 60s. “Most of the prospectors who entered California soon left the arduous work of the goldfields and began to settle in northern California, often on large tracts of land held by members of the Californio elite.” (Gutierrez, pg. 21) This lead to Mexican Americans losing their land that previously was used for ranches and agriculture. The Mexican American communities were forced to concentrate into smaller communities leading to a major increase of residential and social segregation between the two. Not only did this quick increase of immigration cause Mexican Americans to lose their economic status, but also their political influences.
As immigrants began to fill the new land, they also brought with them their ways of law, courts, and land ownership. Specifically, “the Anglo Texans further consolidated their growing political power in the state through various legislative means”. (Gutierrez, pg. 27) The immigrants simply became in control of the political world by making it expensive or impossible for Mexican Americans and blacks to vote and have a weight in political decisions. In 1923, the White Man’s Primary was established in Texas, which limited voting to only “qualified white” voters. Also in 1902, a poll tax was established to keep black and Mexican workers from voting by making individuals pay approximately a day’s wage just to vote. All of these legislative changes led to an American immigrant political powerhouse.
After reading the chapter by Gutierrez and learning how Mexican Americans went from happy living to being a minority, you can connect this with ideas presented in the writing by Dowing, 2014, Mexican Americans and the Question of Race. The entrance of immigrants and events prior to it made Mexican Americans into a minority group, which came with low paying jobs and the view of being inferior. In todays society this inequality is still present, which leads to some Mexicans wishing to be seen as equals or specifically in the U.S. as Americans. This is mentioned in Dowling’s writing. “Overall, I find that Mexican Americans identify as “white” on the census not because they are accepted as white or even because they see themselves as white… Mexican Americans resist racial “othering,” in an effort to be accepted as fully American.” (Dowing, 2014) This proves that racial inequality in still present today and is not right. No matter race or ethnicity, everyone should have equal opportunities specifically economically and politically.