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Gadsden Purchase Timeline

(1853–1854)

The Gadsden Purchase was the 1853–1854 acquisition of land from Mexico that completed the contiguous southern border of the United States. Less

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Railroad ambitions

Asa Whitney proposes a transcontinental railroad

Jan 1845

Asa Whitney of New York presented Congress with the first plan to construct a transcontinental railroad, beginning a series of proposals for connecting the United States with the Pacific coast.

Image source: Asa Whitney

Asa Whitney proposes a transcontinental railroad

James Gadsden proposes a Charleston–San Diego railroad

1846

James Gadsden, then president of the South Carolina Railroad, proposed a transcontinental railroad linking Charleston on the Atlantic with San Diego on the Pacific.

Image source: James Gadsden

James Gadsden proposes a Charleston–San Diego railroad

Southern railroad interests accelerate

1848

After the Mexican–American War concluded, Southern interest in railroads—especially a Pacific railroad—accelerated as new U.S. territory opened possible routes to the West Coast.

Image source: Union Pacific Railroad

Southern railroad interests accelerate

The California Gold Rush increases trans-isthmus interest

1848

Gold discoveries in the Sierra Nevada increased U.S. interest in a route across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which appeared to offer a faster connection between the eastern United States and California.

Image source: California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush increases trans-isthmus interest

Southern interests meet at the Memphis convention

Oct 1849

Southern commercial interests held a convention in Memphis in response to an earlier St. Louis convention discussing a northern route. The Memphis convention recommended pursuing a trans-isthmus route because a transcontinental railroad seemed unlikely soon.

Image source: Memphis Riverline Hotel

Southern interests meet at the Memphis convention

The Compromise of 1850 facilitates a southern railroad route

1850

The Compromise of 1850 created the Utah and New Mexico territories, organizing the territory through which a southern railroad could pass and potentially allowing federal land grants to help finance construction.

Image source: Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 facilitates a southern railroad route

Rusk introduces competing railroad proposals

Jan 1853

Senator Thomas Jefferson Rusk of Texas introduced a bill proposing two railroads, one following a northern route and the other a southern route, reflecting the sectional contest over a Pacific railroad.

Image source: Thomas Jefferson Rusk

Rusk introduces competing railroad proposals

The Southern Pacific reaches Yuma

1877

The Southern Pacific Railroad reached Yuma, Arizona, in 1877 as it advanced across the Gadsden Purchase toward a southern transcontinental route.

Image source: Southern Pacific Railroad

The Southern Pacific reaches Yuma

The Southern Pacific reaches Tucson

Mar 1880

The Southern Pacific reached Tucson, Arizona, in March 1880, extending railroad service farther across the lands acquired in the Gadsden Purchase.

The Southern Pacific reaches Deming

Dec 1880

The Southern Pacific reached Deming, New Mexico, in December 1880, bringing its line close to completion across the purchase lands.

The Southern Pacific and Santa Fe meet at Deming

Mar 7, 1881

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad met the Southern Pacific at Deming, New Mexico, on March 7, 1881, completing the second transcontinental railroad.

Image source: Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway

The Southern Pacific and Santa Fe meet at Deming

The first railroad crosses the purchase

May 1881

The Southern Pacific reached El Paso in May 1881, completing the first railroad across the Gadsden Purchase.

The Santa Fe reaches Guaymas

Oct 1882

Using trackage rights over the Southern Pacific from Deming to Benson, the Santa Fe built southwest to Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, completing the line in October 1882 as its first Pacific outlet.

The Sunset Route is completed

1883

The Southern Pacific completed its own southern transcontinental railroad, the Sunset Route, linking California with New Orleans and establishing the railroad connection that had helped motivate the purchase.

Image source: Sunset Route

The Sunset Route is completed

Diplomatic negotiations

The Mexican–American War ends

1848

The Mexican–American War ended in 1848, leaving unresolved disputes involving the Mesilla Valley, Indian raids, and transit rights across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The loss of Mexican territory also shaped later arguments over the Gadsden Purchase.

Image source: Mexican–American War

The Mexican–American War ends

Gadsden becomes a secession advocate

1850

After California entered the Union as a free state in 1850, James Gadsden advocated South Carolina's secession. He later worked to divide California into northern and southern portions and proposed permitting slavery in the south.

The Clayton–Bulwer Treaty is finalized

Apr 1850

The United States and the United Kingdom finalized the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty, which guaranteed the neutrality of any canal constructed across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Image source: Clayton–Bulwer Treaty

The Clayton–Bulwer Treaty is finalized

Mexico sells the canal franchise to Sloo

1852

Mexico sold the Tehuantepec canal franchise, without its land grants, to A. G. Sloo and Associates of New York for $600,000. The transfer continued the struggle over control of a strategic interoceanic route.

Image source: Isthmus of Tehuantepec

Mexico sells the canal franchise to Sloo

The Pierce administration takes office

Mar 1853

The Franklin Pierce administration took office in March 1853. It was strongly pro-Southern and pro-expansion, creating a favorable political setting for renewed negotiations with Mexico.

Image source: Franklin Pierce

The Pierce administration takes office

The Sloo protection treaty is signed

Mar 21, 1853

A treaty initiated during the Fillmore administration to provide joint Mexican and U.S. protection for the Sloo grant was signed in Mexico. The Mexican Congress later refused to accept it.

Gadsden meets Santa Anna

Sep 25, 1853

James Gadsden met with Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna in Mexico City to discuss the terms of a proposed territorial treaty. Negotiators considered larger acquisitions, including land needed for a southern railroad.

Image source: Gadsden Purchase

Gadsden meets Santa Anna

Santa Anna and Gadsden sign the treaty

Dec 30, 1853

Antonio López de Santa Anna and James Gadsden signed the treaty in Mexico. The agreement was then presented to the United States Senate for confirmation.

The first draft is signed

Dec 31, 1853

A first draft of the Gadsden Purchase agreement was signed by James Gadsden, the U.S. minister to Mexico, and Antonio López de Santa Anna, Mexico's president.

Pierce's cabinet debates the treaty

Jan 1854

President Franklin Pierce and his cabinet began debating the treaty in January 1854, including the proposed territory, its price, and the political consequences of acquiring additional land for a southern railroad.

The treaty is reduced in size and price

1854

The proposed acquisition was reduced by more than 10,000 square miles to 29,640 square miles, and its price was lowered from $15 million to $10 million.

The Senate approves the Gadsden Treaty

Apr 25, 1854

The revised treaty passed the United States Senate by a vote of 33 to 12. The approved agreement transferred lands south of the Gila River and west of the Rio Grande to the United States.

The treaty takes effect

Jun 8, 1854

The Gadsden Purchase treaty took effect, formalizing the transfer of the southern Arizona and New Mexico region to the United States.

The treaty officially enters force

Jun 30, 1854

The treaty went into effect on June 30, 1854, under the finalized agreement by which the United States paid Mexico $10 million for the 29,640-square-mile territory.

Territorial administration

The United States Army takes control

1854

The United States Army took control of the lands acquired through the purchase, although troops were not stationed in the troubled region until 1856.

Efforts begin to organize a southern territory

1856

Difficulties governing the new lands from Santa Fe led to efforts as early as 1856 to organize a new territory from the southern portion of the New Mexico Territory.

Image source: Arizona Territory

Efforts begin to organize a southern territory

Fort Buchanan is established

Nov 17, 1856

The United States Army established Fort Buchanan on Sonoita Creek, southwest of present-day Sonoita, Arizona, to help control the newly acquired region.

Image source: Fort Buchanan, Arizona

Fort Buchanan is established

Fort Buchanan protects the purchase lands

Jun 1857 - 1861

Fort Buchanan was established south of the Gila at the head of the Sonoita Creek Valley. It protected the area until it was officially abandoned in 1861 and destroyed in 1865.

The Confederate Territory of Arizona is formed

1861

During the American Civil War, the Confederate States of America formed the Confederate Territory of Arizona, including much of the area acquired through the Gadsden Purchase.

Image source: Confederate Arizona

The Confederate Territory of Arizona is formed

The Union creates Arizona Territory

1863

The Union created Arizona Territory in 1863 from the western half of the New Mexico Territory, using a north-to-south dividing line. The new territory included the Gadsden Purchase region.

The Arizona Territory becomes a state

Feb 14, 1912

Arizona was admitted to the Union on February 14, 1912. It was the last area of the Lower 48 states to receive statehood, completing the political transformation of the region.

Image source: Arizona

The Arizona Territory becomes a state

Long-term legacy

The International Boundary and Water Commission is established

1889

Pursuant to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Gadsden Treaty, and subsequent agreements, the International Boundary and Water Commission was established to maintain the U.S.–Mexico border.

Image source: International Boundary and Water Commission

The International Boundary and Water Commission is established

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Key Facts

  1. The United States purchased approximately 29,640 square miles of land from Mexico.
  2. The territory included parts of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.
  3. U.S. Minister to Mexico James Gadsden negotiated the agreement under President Franklin Pierce.
  4. The Treaty of La Mesilla was signed on December 30, 1853, and ratified by the U.S. Senate on June 30, 1854.
  5. The purchase provided a planned route for a southern transcontinental railroad and intensified debates over slavery's expansion.

Source

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