How Arizona's borders were drawn: from the Mexican Cession to statehood
Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Arizona's 1906 vote
Who made it: the Law Library of Congress, in its In Custodia Legis blog. When: February 2022. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to mark Arizona's statehood anniversary. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In November 1906 Arizona voters rejected joint statehood with New Mexico, 16,265 to 3,141. Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912, the last of the contiguous states to join. Source card "Taft's 1911 veto". Who made it: the National Archives, Center for Legislative Archives. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain a document in its collection. Summary in our words, not a quotation: On August 15, 1911, President Taft vetoed the statehood resolution in large part because Arizona's constitution allowed the recall of judges. Source card "Arizona timeline". Who made it: the US Senate, in its States in the Senate series. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to list the steps by which states joined the Senate. Summary in our words, not a quotation: On September 9, 1850, Congress organized New Mexico Territory, which included much of present-day Arizona. A law making Arizona a separate territory passed on February 20, 1863. In December 1911 the people voted to remove the recall of judges, and after statehood the voters reinstated it. Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912.
Ari asks why Arizona waited until 1912. Which explanation do all three cards support?
- Congress kept opposing Arizona statehood from 1863 until 1912
- Voters dropped judge recall in 1906, so Taft signed the statehood resolution in 1911
- A 1906 vote against joint statehood, then Taft's 1911 veto over judge recall
- Taft's veto over judge recall delayed statehood from 1863 on
Gadsden Purchase: a State Department history
Who made it: the Office of the Historian, US Department of State. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain the history of US foreign relations. Summary in our words, not a quotation: A southern railroad route had to cross Mexican land, and both countries claimed the Mesilla Valley. Santa Anna, Mexico's president, did not want to sell a large part of Mexico but needed money to pay an army fighting rebellions. The treaty signed December 30, 1853 set $15 million for 45,000 square miles. The Senate, divided by strife between northern and southern states, ratified a revised treaty on April 25, 1854: $10 million for 29,670 square miles. A later dispute over the payment followed.
Bo hears a student argue the purchase happened mainly because of the railroad. Which detail in the card best complicates that claim?
- The Senate cut the price to $10 million and the land to 29,670 square miles
- Santa Anna was pushed toward a deal because he needed money for an army
- The practical routes for a southern railroad crossed Mexican land
- Both countries claimed the Mesilla Valley before the treaty was signed
Esme notes each government wanted something different. Which statement best explains why both could accept the revised 1854 treaty?
- Both got everything they asked for in the first treaty: $15 million and 45,000 square miles
- Both wanted to control the Native nations living in the region
- Mexico accepted because a war with the United States forced it to sign
- Mexico got money, and the United States got land for a possible railroad route
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Article VIII (part)
Who made it: Negotiators for the United States and Mexico. When: Signed February 2, 1848. Where: Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico. For whom: the two governments and the Mexican residents of the ceded land. Why: to end the Mexican-American War and set the terms of peace. Excerpt (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), Article VIII, English text; National Archives transcript): "…But they shall be under the obligation to make their election within one year from the date of the exchange of ratifications of this treaty; and those who shall remain in the said territories after the expiration of that year, without having declared their intention to retain the character of Mexicans, shall be considered to have elected to become citizens of the United States." Source card "The treaty: what the National Archives says". Who made it: the National Archives, describing the treaty. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain a milestone document. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The treaty, signed February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War. Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, an area of more than 525,000 square miles, including most of present-day Arizona. The United States paid Mexico $15 million.
Jun needs the exact wording of Article VIII and the share of Mexico's land ceded. Which source is best for each?
- The National Archives summary for the wording; the treaty text for the share
- The treaty text for both, since an original document is the strongest source
- The treaty text for the wording; the National Archives summary for the share
- The summary for both, since it is more recent and easier to read
Arizona timeline
Who made it: the US Senate, in its States in the Senate series. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to list the steps by which states joined the Senate. Summary in our words, not a quotation: On September 9, 1850, Congress organized New Mexico Territory, which included much of present-day Arizona. A law making Arizona a separate territory passed on February 20, 1863. In December 1911 the people voted to remove the recall of judges, and after statehood the voters reinstated it. Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912. Source card "Taft's 1911 veto". Who made it: the National Archives, Center for Legislative Archives. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain a document in its collection. Summary in our words, not a quotation: On August 15, 1911, President Taft vetoed the statehood resolution in large part because Arizona's constitution allowed the recall of judges.
Luz notes voters removed judge recall in December 1911, then restored it after statehood. What does that order best suggest?
- They planned in secret from the start to restore it after statehood
- Taft asked them to restore recall of judges after statehood was won
- They dropped it to gain approval, not because they lost interest
- They decided after the veto that recall of judges was a bad idea
The treaty: what the National Archives says
Who made it: the National Archives, describing the treaty. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain a milestone document. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The treaty, signed February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War. Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, an area of more than 525,000 square miles, including most of present-day Arizona. The United States paid Mexico $15 million. Source card "Gadsden Purchase: a State Department history". Who made it: the Office of the Historian, US Department of State. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain the history of US foreign relations. Summary in our words, not a quotation: A southern railroad route had to cross Mexican land, and both countries claimed the Mesilla Valley. Santa Anna, Mexico's president, did not want to sell a large part of Mexico but needed money to pay an army fighting rebellions. The treaty signed December 30, 1853 set $15 million for 45,000 square miles. The Senate, divided by strife between northern and southern states, ratified a revised treaty on April 25, 1854: $10 million for 29,670 square miles. A later dispute over the payment followed.
A student writes, "The United States paid $15 million twice." Milo checks the cards. Which revision is accurate?
- It paid $10 million in 1848 and $15 million in 1854
- It paid $15 million in 1848 and $15 million in 1854
- It paid $15 million in 1848 and then $10 million more in 1854 for the same land
- $15 million in 1848 for the Cession; $10 million in 1854 for the Gadsden land
The Mexican Cession, 1845 and 1848
Map 1, "Before the war" (1845): Today's Arizona is part of Mexico. Native nations live on the land, among them the Tohono O'odham in the south and Apache peoples to the north. Map 2, "After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo" (1848): Mexico cedes 55 percent of its territory to the United States, including most of present-day Arizona: the land north of the Gila River. The land south of the Gila River stays in Mexico. Key: orange: Mexico; blue: the United States; a dashed line: the new border. Below the maps: The Mexican-American War lasted from 1846 to 1848. The treaty, signed on February 2, 1848, ended it. The United States paid Mexico $15 million. Mexicans who stayed on the land could keep Mexican citizenship or become US citizens, choosing within one year.
Noah notes the maps and their note give dates, borders, owners and a price. What do they leave out that a historian also needs?
- The year each border changed and the treaty that changed it
- The name of the river that marks the border on the 1848 map and note
- The price the United States paid
- What the people living on the land thought about the border change
Griffith on the Arizona-Sonora border
Who made it: James S. Griffith, a folklorist writing for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. When: 1993. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: festival visitors and readers. Why: to describe the border region and its peoples. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The Tohono O'odham claim ancestral lands on both sides of the border. Yaqui people live on both sides too. The lands to the north were occupied most particularly by the Apaches. Source card "Gadsden Purchase: a State Department history". Who made it: the Office of the Historian, US Department of State. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain the history of US foreign relations. Summary in our words, not a quotation: A southern railroad route had to cross Mexican land, and both countries claimed the Mesilla Valley. Santa Anna, Mexico's president, did not want to sell a large part of Mexico but needed money to pay an army fighting rebellions. The treaty signed December 30, 1853 set $15 million for 45,000 square miles. The Senate, divided by strife between northern and southern states, ratified a revised treaty on April 25, 1854: $10 million for 29,670 square miles. A later dispute over the payment followed.
Ren has read Griffith and the State Department history. What question should a historian ask next about Native nations and the 1854 border?
- What did Tohono O'odham people say then, if records exist?
- When was the southern railroad finished, and who paid for it?
- How much is the land along the border worth in dollars today?
- What did the Senate say about the treaty it ratified in 1854?
The treaty: what the National Archives says
Who made it: the National Archives, describing the treaty. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain a milestone document. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The treaty, signed February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War. Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, an area of more than 525,000 square miles, including most of present-day Arizona. The United States paid Mexico $15 million. Source card "Gadsden Purchase: a State Department history". Who made it: the Office of the Historian, US Department of State. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain the history of US foreign relations. Summary in our words, not a quotation: A southern railroad route had to cross Mexican land, and both countries claimed the Mesilla Valley. Santa Anna, Mexico's president, did not want to sell a large part of Mexico but needed money to pay an army fighting rebellions. The treaty signed December 30, 1853 set $15 million for 45,000 square miles. The Senate, divided by strife between northern and southern states, ratified a revised treaty on April 25, 1854: $10 million for 29,670 square miles. A later dispute over the payment followed.
Tala compares the two border changes. Which difference do the cards support?
- The Gadsden Purchase added more land than the 1848 treaty and cost more
- The 1848 treaty ended a war; the Gadsden deal was a purchase for a railroad route
- The 1848 treaty was signed by Santa Anna and the Gadsden treaty by Taft
- The Gadsden deal ended a war; the 1848 treaty was a purchase for a railroad route
Arizona timeline
Who made it: the US Senate, in its States in the Senate series. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to list the steps by which states joined the Senate. Summary in our words, not a quotation: On September 9, 1850, Congress organized New Mexico Territory, which included much of present-day Arizona. A law making Arizona a separate territory passed on February 20, 1863. In December 1911 the people voted to remove the recall of judges, and after statehood the voters reinstated it. Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912. Source card "Arizona's 1906 vote". Who made it: the Law Library of Congress, in its In Custodia Legis blog. When: February 2022. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to mark Arizona's statehood anniversary. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In November 1906 Arizona voters rejected joint statehood with New Mexico, 16,265 to 3,141. Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912, the last of the contiguous states to join.
A student writes, "Arizona became a state in 1863 when Congress approved its constitution." Zee revises it. Which version is accurate?
- Arizona became a state in 1863, but its constitution was approved in 1912
- Arizona became a territory and a state in the same year, 1912
- Arizona became a state in 1854 with the Gadsden Purchase
- Arizona became a territory in 1863 and the 48th state in 1912