Introduction
The treaty ended the war that had affected the lives of many individuals for several years. It is commonly referred to as the treaty of peace, friendship, limits, and settlement because it effectively ended the war, limited the powers of Mexico, resettled many people who had been displaced, and strengthened the ties between the two states. Mexico had been affected greatly because it lacked the army to continue fighting, as several of them had lost their lives while others opted to reassign after realizing that the US was not going to be defeated. Through the treaty, the US was to pay the Mexican government fifteen million dollars while it had to compensate the citizens of Mexico who had lost their properties at least three million dollars.
The US was to be given the territories around the Grande boundary, including Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado (Bevans 793). The paper goes a notch high to analyze articles XIII, IX, and X with an aiming of establishing which of the three was the most important as far as the lives of the Mexicans were concerned.
Impacts of the Treaty on Mexicans
The primary impact of the treaty was that it extended American citizenship to the Mexicans living in the ceded territory. Several problems that citizens of the new territory continue to face in the country could be explained by the ratification of the treaty. As Chavez noted in his analysis, Americans were of the view that Mexicans were in their soil and the Indians would do everything to chase them away (Chávez 1). Many people in Mexico and those living around the territory are never happy since they accuse the leadership of their country at the time for betraying them when they needed help since the injustices that their children go through in the US could not be happening when the treaty was drafted properly. Mexicans are never happy with the US and this has always fuelled conflicts between the two countries leading to conflicts that interfere with regional development. In 1910, Mexicans felt it was enough when they decided to organize a revolution to end the problems facing them.
The US offered to intervene, but Mexicans never trusted it and requested the US government to keep off from the internal affairs. Mexicans were disappointed with the way they were treated since they were considered the second-class citizens who had no position in society as far as political and economic activities were concerned. As Chavez observed, the Mexican congress was disappointed with this behavior to an extent of formulating a stronger policy in 1830 that allowed the military to invade Texas (Chávez 7). For instance, Mexicans were expected only to support a white candidate in elections yet they were not permitted to present their candidature during elections while the treaty claimed that they had full civil rights meaning they would engage in political activities freely.
In the labor market, the Mexicans living in the ceded regions were supposed to provide cheap labor needed in industries. However, technical labor was only sourced from the whites and other races. The education system was designed in a manner that would discriminate the Mexicans and other races that were considered inferior. For instance, the curriculum in other states in the country was different from that used in the states dominated by the Mexicans meaning children were socialized to accept their positions in society. Currently, Mexicans have limited chances in life as compared to the whites and this explains why the states around the territory rank poorly in the country as far as economic development is concerned.
Important Treaty
Article XIII and IX were meant to protect property rights of the locals in the newly acquired territories, but the US government never drafted policies that would ensure the privileges of Mexicans were protected. The most important article of the treaty was IX because it gave the Mexicans the right to own property in the ceded territories. Citizens never enjoyed their rights in the region yet they were full American citizens. Unfortunately, the provisions of the articles were not honored, something that affected the lives of many Mexicans living in the southwest because the government never designed stronger policies to protect the interests of citizens living in the region. For instance, Indians would raid the villages and walk away with properties worth millions of dollars.
Conclusion
It is concluded that the treaty was only meant to facilitate the achievement of national interests in the United States, but Mexicans never benefitted from it since the locals continued suffering with several individuals losing their possessions that they had accumulated for several years. The articles were drafted with the aim of ensuring that the locals achieve their desired objectives, but this was never the case because people suffered more. The treaty continues to affect the Mexicans even in the modern society meaning it only fuelled the conflicts between the citizens of the two countries.
Works Cited
Bevans, Charles. Treaties and other international agreements of the United States of America, 1776-1949. Washington: Department of State, 1972. Print.
Chávez, Ernesto. The U.S. War with Mexico: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008. Print.