Final answer:
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War in 1848, ceding vast territories to the U.S. and confirming U.S. ownership of Texas, while compensating Mexico and assuming claims against it.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was the concrete outcome that ended the Mexican-American War and significantly enlarged United States territory. Signed in February of 1848, this treaty not only reaffirmed the annexation of Texas but also witnessed Mexico ceding over half of its land to the U.S., which included the present-day territories of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, and Kansas.
Mexico retained its lands south of the Rio Grande, while the U.S. agreed to compensate Mexico with $15 million and assume American claims against Mexico, approximating $3,250,000. The treaty was a key part of the expansionist doctrine known as Manifest Destiny, which held that the United States was destined to expand its dominion and spread democracy across the entire North American continent.