Title: What Area Did the US Acquire During the Mexican War? | Synonym
Headings: What Area Did the US Acquire During the Mexican War?
What Area Did the US Acquire During the Mexican War?
Explore this article
1 Texas' Boundary
2 Upper California
3 Land Between California and Texas
4 Impact on U.S. and Mexico

Content: Explore this article
Texas' Boundary
Upper California
Land Between California and Texas
Impact on U.S. and Mexico
1 Texas' Boundary
The Mexican War began as a dispute over the boundaries of the United States' newly-acquired territory, Texas. For Mexico, Texas' boundary ended at the Nueces River, but Texans and Americans thought it ended farther south at the Rio Grande. After two years of war, and Mexico's defeat, this was the first piece of territory the country conceded to the United States. During the negotiations for the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Mexico agreed to allow the United States to take territory extending up the Rio Grande. Still today, this river creates a significant part of the border between the United States and Mexico. 2 Upper California
Though the Mexican War was ostensibly fought over a tiny piece of Texan territory, the idea of "Manifest Destiny" motivated the country to want more territory. The grand prize was the west coast of North America, a part of Mexico known as California. Securing the region would fulfill the goal of a country that spanned from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Initially, the United States wanted both Baja and Alta California. The Mexicans, however, only consented to the transfer of Alta California, which included everything from the Port of San Diego northward towards and beyond San Francisco.