The changing U.s. - México Border

Mexican Americans are often asked, "Where do you come from?" This is especially true if they speak Spanish. But what many white Americans don't understand is that in many cases, they didn't "come" from México, instead, because of war and politics, the area in which they live, in which their parents and grandparents lived for centuries, suddenly became a part of the United States when politicians drew a line on a map.

Made by User:Golbez., CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

User:Golbez, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

In the animation above you can see how the states within México, the U.S. - México border, and the border with the Republic of Texas changed throughout the years. Because of these border changes, Mexican Americans say, "We didn't cross the border, the border crossed us."

• In 1821, México gained independence from Spain.
• In 1836, the Republic of Texas declared independence from México.
• The United States annexed Texas in 1845.
• From 1846 to 1848 the Mexican-American War is fought.
  
• In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed and land in what is now California, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Texas becomes part of the United States of America.
  
• In 1854, the United States of America buys additional land from México (shown in yellow below) in the Gasden Purchase.
  

Through war and sale, tens of thousands of Mexican citizens suddenly became United States citizens.

Matthew Trump,, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Something else to consider? Canada, México, and 31 other countries are on the American continents—North and South America. We, in the United States, sometimes irritate or insult people in these other countries by calling ourselves "American"  because they, too, are American.

In French speaking Quebec in Canada, United States citizens are called Etats-Uniens. In many Latin American countries, United States citizens are called estadounidense. Both of these mean United States-ian.

“Becoming Part of the United States  :  Mexican  :  Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History  :  Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress  :  Library of Congress.” The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/mexican/becoming-part-of-the-united-states/.

Golbez. “Mexico States Evolution.” Wikimedia Commons, Aug. 2013. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mexico_states_evolution.gif

Martinez-Carter, Karina. “What Does 'American' Actually Mean?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 20 June 2013, www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/06/what-does-american-actually-mean/276999/.