|
Abstract:
|
This letter comments on Mexican American relations in the days leading to the final ratification of the Treaty of Guadalupe. Following two years of war, U.S. forces had occupied most major Mexican cities and had begun to negotiate a peace treaty with the Mexican Government. Nicholas P. Trist was the U.S. agent responsible for negotiations, but president Polk recalled him from the post because he was not aggressive enough with a country that, in Polk's eyes, was in no position to make demands. Trist defied Polk and continued to work with Mexican president Manuel de la Peña y Peña to create the Treaty of Guadalupe, which would concede half of the Mexican territory to the United States. Trist and Peña y Peña signed the treaty on February 2nd, 1848, but it still had to be ratified by both countries. Despite Trist's lack of official authority and opposition from those who wanted either more or less Mexican territory (many abolitionists viewed the acquisition of Mexican territory as an attempt to expand slavery), the U.S. ratified the treaty on March 10th, 1848. In Mexico, however, many felt that the terms were too harsh and wished to continue fighting. This letter from a U.S. traveler comments on the devastation that the war wrought on many Mexican cities and expresses hope that the Mexican government ratify the treaty. The Mexican government did so on May 19th, 1848, twelve days after this letter was written. |