84R2970 RA-D
By: Alonzo H.R. No. 75
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, February 2, 2016, marks the 168th anniversary of the
signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, an act that officially
signaled the end of the Mexican War; and
WHEREAS, Concluding hostilities that had begun between
Mexico and the United States in 1846, the treaty constitutes a major
event in the history of both countries and in the annals of the Lone
Star State; and
WHEREAS, In consequence of its provisions, Mexico recognized
the annexation of Texas by the United States and accepted the Rio
Grande as the state's southern boundary; in addition, Mexico ceded
to the United States the territory of the present-day states of
California, Arizona, and New Mexico, as well as parts of Utah,
Nevada, and Colorado, in exchange for a payment of $15 million; and
WHEREAS, The treaty further offered American citizenship to
Mexicans living in the ceded lands, an offer accepted by an
overwhelming majority of the approximately 80,000 individuals who
thus became eligible; and
WHEREAS, Those holding Mexican title to land now situated
within the borders of the United States were also promised respect
for their property; in Texas, subsequent adjudication confirmed
almost all of the claims that were presented for validation; and
WHEREAS, Yet another treaty provision stipulated that Mexico
and the United States would refer future disputes to arbitration;
an outstanding instance of such a resolution is the Chamizal
settlement of 1963, which concluded a 99-year-old boundary dispute
in the vicinity of El Paso; and
WHEREAS, The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo secured for Texas
its claim to land between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande,
pointed the way toward a bilingual, multiethnic society along the
Texas-Mexico border, and pledged two proud countries to peaceful
negotiation of their differences; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 168th anniversary of the signing
of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, and
recognize the momentous significance of this date for the State of
Texas.