The Gadsen Purchase

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the United States wanted to build a transcontinental railroad but faced challenges finding a southern route that did not pass through Mexican territory. They sought to purchase the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a narrow strip of land between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but Mexico had already granted the right to build colonies to Don José de Garay. The Mexican president, Juan Ceballos, later revoked the grant due to fears that the American colonists would rebel, which angered U.S. investors. These tensions between Mexico and the United States complicated their efforts to establish a southern connection for the railroad.
In 1853, Mexican officials forced Americans out of their property in the disputed Mesilla Valley. The U.S. Government did not take any action in response to this event, which led Governor William Lane of New Mexico to declare the Mesilla Valley as part of the U.S. territory of New Mexico. In response, Mexican President Antonio de Santa Anna sent troops into the ...

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