The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

In my Sunday morning perusing of blogs I ran across a video posted on Freedom Folks. I really like this blog..they are minutemen (people) in Chicago that take on illegal immigration the way it was meant to be taken on, through peaceful demonstration. Frequently they post videos worth noting in the hostility shown towards them.

The most recent video was from 10/21/06 where they went to a church where an illegal and her son are being held in Sanctuary from the clutches of the homeland security department that rightfully wants to deport this ILLEGAL back to Mexico. It has become a political battle.

The Pastor of the church is hispanic and very vocal (dont get me started on why she should lose her 503b tax exempt status for taking on politics) and in watching the video she pointed to the Treat of Guadalupe Hidalgo as a basis that America has no right to the land that was "stolen" (Her words) from Mexico. MJ at the blog correctly points to Article 12 of the treaty:

"In consideration of the extension acquired by the boundaries of the United States, as defined in the fifth article of the present treaty, the Government of the United States engages to pay to that of the Mexican Republic the sum of fifteen millions of dollars.

Immediately after the treaty shall have been duly ratified by the Government of the Mexican Republic, the sum of three millions of dollars shall be paid to the said Government by that of the United States, at the city of Mexico, in the gold or silver coin of Mexico The remaining twelve millions of dollars shall be paid at the same place, and in the same coin, in annual installments of three millions of dollars each, together with interest on the same at the rate of six per centum per annum. This interest shall begin to run upon the whole sum of twelve millions from the day of the ratification of the present treaty by--the Mexican Government, and the first of the installments shall be paid-at the expiration of one year from the same day. Together with each annual installment, as it falls due, the whole interest accruing on such installment from the beginning shall also be paid."

So lets see...we paid Mexico 15 million dollars for the land for the sake of peace, and now they claim we stole it? EXCUSE ME??

Reading this document has turned out to be QUITE a FASCINATING experience into the lies that have been propogated by the left.

Most notable in its intent is the preamble:

"IN THE NAME OF ALMIGHTY GOD

The United States of America and the United Mexican States animated by a sincere desire to put an end to the calamities of the war which unhappily exists between the two Republics and to establish Upon a solid basis relations of peace and friendship, which shall confer reciprocal benefits upon the citizens of both, and assure the concord, harmony, and mutual confidence wherein the two people should live, as good neighbors have for that purpose appointed their respective plenipotentiaries, that is to say: The President of the United States has appointed Nicholas P Trist, a citizen of the United States, and the President of the Mexican Republic has appointed Don Luis Gonzaga Cuevas, Don Bernardo Couto, and Don Miguel Atristain, citizens of the said Republic; Who, after a reciprocal communication of their respective full powers, have, under the protection of Almighty God, the author of peace, arranged, agreed upon, and signed the following:

Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the Mexican Republic."

Key word there...SETTLEMENT, which means that everyone agreed that after signing..this was settled and done with.

Apparently not according to La Raza who does NOT speak for the Mexican government. Which brings me to another point. The Mexican Government, as far as I know..and feel free to correct me if I am wrong by pointing me to PROOF..has not said that the land is theirs, and by remaining silent on the issue, has tacitly conceeded that the land does IN FACT belong to the United States.

If La Raza wants to speak FOR the Mexican Government, then perhaps they should start by reading Article 1 of the document:

"There shall be firm and universal peace between the United States of America and the Mexican Republic, and between their respective countries, territories, cities, towns, and people, without exception of places or persons." Emphasis mine.

And in enforcing our borders, maybe everyone should take a look at this from Article 5:

The boundary line established by this article shall be religiously respected by each of the two republics, and no change shall ever be made therein, except by the express and free consent of both nations, lawfully given by the General Government of each, in conformity with its own constitution.

And of course, we were being OVERLY generous, as shown in Article 14:

The United States do furthermore discharge the Mexican Republic from all claims of citizens of the United States, not heretofore decided against the Mexican Government, which may have arisen previously to the date of the signature of this treaty; which discharge shall be final and perpetual, whether the said claims be rejected or be allowed by the board of commissioners provided for in the following article, and whatever shall be the total amount of those allowed.

This effectively wiped all claims and money due in lawsuits off the board!

And here is one sure to make you red in the face from article 21:

If unhappily any disagreement should hereafter arise between the Governments of the two republics, whether with respect to the interpretation of any stipulation in this treaty, or with respect to any other particular concerning the political or commercial relations of the two nations, the said Governments, in the name of those nations, do promise to each other that they will endeavour, in the most sincere and earnest manner, to settle the differences so arising, and to preserve the state of peace and friendship in which the two countries are now placing themselves, using, for this end, mutual representations and pacific negotiations. And if, by these means, they should not be enabled to come to an agreement, a resort shall not, on this account, be had to reprisals, aggression, or hostility of any kind, by the one republic against the other, until the Government of that which deems itself aggrieved shall have maturely considered, in the spirit of peace and good neighbourship, whether it would not be better that such difference should be settled by the arbitration of commissioners appointed on each side, or by that of a friendly nation. And should such course be proposed by either party, it shall be acceded to by the other, unless deemed by it altogether incompatible with the nature of the difference, or the circumstances of the case.

In other words....Vicente Fox, the entire time he was in office, violated EVERY provision of this article with NO reprecussions from Washington!

All in all, this is a VERY fascinating treaty and document, the areas ceded to the United States by way of this treaty is the current boundaries that are shown on our maps and political maps the world over.

So..the next time someone tells you we stole THIS land from the mexicans....remind them of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo....article 12...we took it by way of war first....payment 2nd.