What brought California and surrounding areas into the United States?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks about what brought California and surrounding areas into the United States. Since no answer options are provided to analyze, I will proceed by explaining the established historical fact and then note the absence of alternative choices.

First, the historically accurate event connecting California and the surrounding region to the United States is the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in 1848, which ended the Mexican-American War. This treaty ceded large portions of what is now the American Southwest—including California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming—from Mexico to the United States, in exchange for financial compensation and other terms. This diplomatic agreement formalized U.S. sovereignty over those territories and significantly reshaped the geographic boundaries of both nations.

If we were evaluating multiple-choice options, one would expect choices such as:
- The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which explicitly transferred control of California and other territories to the United States.
- The Monroe Doctrine, which aimed to oppose European colonialism in the Americas but did not itself transfer territory to the U.S.
- The Louisiana Purchase, which expanded U.S. territory westward but did not include California at the time of its execution.
- The Oregon Treaty, which settled the boundary with Britain in the Pacific Northwest and did not determine California's status.

Why the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the focal correct reference: it directly addressed the Mexican cession and established U.S. sovereignty over California; it did not merely influence policy or establish optional boundaries, but legally transferred ownership as part of a negotiated settlement.

If any distractors were present, they would likely fall into common misconceptions such as assuming territorial gains came from a land purchase unrelated to the Mexican-American War, or confusing the timing with other territorial agreements, which would misstate how California became part of the United States.

In sum, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the central historical instrument that brought California and adjacent regions into the United States through formal territorial transfer following the Mexican-American War.

HIS 171B 001 WQ 2025 First Quiz (covers first three classes plus Waite book) due Wednesday January 15 by 2 p.m.

What brought California and surrounding areas into the United States?

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