Final answer:
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo settled the Mexican-American War by having the U.S. assume control over Texas and cede large territories from Mexico, fueling Manifest Destiny and future regional conflicts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in February 1848, effectively ended the Mexican-American War by addressing several significant issues that led to the conflict. First, the treaty recognized the U.S. claim to Texas, setting the southern boundary of Texas at the Rio Grande River. Secondly, it ceded an extensive amount of territory to the United States, including the areas of present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming, a total of about 525,000 square miles. This territorial cession resulted in Mexico losing more than half of its land.
In exchange, the United States agreed to pay Mexico $15 million and assumed approximately $3.25 million in claims by American citizens against Mexico. The large territorial gain for the United States fueled the concept of Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States was destined to expand across North America. The acquisition of this land from Mexico did, however, have significant long-term social and political implications, including issues related to the rights of the Hispanic population within the newly acquired territories and debates over the expansion of slavery into the new states.Although some of the most radical proponents of Manifest Destiny desired the annexation of all Mexican territory, the United States refrained, largely due to the problems that would arise from incorporating a vast, non-English speaking population and the political complexities such an action would involve.