Gadsden Purchase

Gadsden Purchase Postage Stamp

Gadsden Purchase Postage Stamp

A Conspiracy to Extend Slavery?

The Gadsden Purchase, ratified by president Franklin Pierce on June 24, 1853, added nearly 30,000 square miles to American territory in the desert southwest. The United States government paid ten million dollars to Mexico for the land that was originally bought in hopes of extending a southern route to a proposed transcontinental railroad. The purchase was originally envisioned to include a much larger chunk of Mexico, but was widely opposed by the Mexican people and by abolitionist politicians - who saw the purchase as an attempt to acquire more slave territory.

It would Eventually Become Southern Portions of New Mexico and Arizona

The Gadsden Purchase, which encompassed southern portions of modern-day Arizona and New Mexico, was organized into the New Mexico Territory upon its purchase. During the Civil War, the Union and Confederacy divided the territory into the Confederate Territory of Arizona and the Territory of Arizona (Union land which included the part of the Gadsden Purchase which is now New Mexico).

Discussion Questions
  • Why did some politicians and citizens oppose the Gadsden Purchase, and how did concerns about slavery influence their views?
  • How did the Gadsden Purchase reflect the broader goals of American expansion during the mid-19th century?
  • What role did the proposed transcontinental railroad play in motivating the purchase, and why was a southern route considered important?
  • How did the division of the land during the Civil War reflect the larger conflict between the Union and the Confederacy?

A Controversial Land Deal

The Gadsden Purchase was approved by President Franklin Pierce on June 24, 1853. It added about 30,000 square miles of land in the desert southwest to the United States. The U.S. paid Mexico ten million dollars for the land, hoping to use it for a southern route of a future transcontinental railroad. Some people opposed the deal, especially in Mexico and among U.S. politicians against slavery, who thought it was an attempt to add more slave-holding land.

Now Part of New Mexico and Arizona

The land from the Gadsden Purchase became part of the New Mexico Territory. During the Civil War, the area was split into two territories: the Confederate Territory of Arizona and the Union’s Territory of Arizona, which included the parts now in New Mexico.