Question

Which area did the United States acquire in the 1840s, and how did it acquire that land?

Answer 1

I believe that Mexico ceded California to the United States as part of a peace treaty. After the Mexican-American war, Mexico and US signed a peace treaty and Mexico lost several parts of their land (including Cali)

Answer 2

The correct answer is that in the 1840s, Mexico ceded California to the United States as a part of a peace treaty.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War, forced the Mexican government to cede California to the United States, along with the other Interior Provinces (today's New Mexico), in 1848. That same year gold was discovered in California, more precisely in Coloma, near Sacramento, and many people came to the new US territory to look for gold and try their luck.