The acquisition of a strip of land from Mexico by the United States in 1853 is a significant historical event. This transaction involved the United States paying Mexico $10 million for approximately 29,670 square miles of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. The primary motivation behind this territorial expansion was to secure a feasible route for a transcontinental railroad.
The importance of this land acquisition lies in its potential to facilitate trade and transportation across the continent. A southern railroad route offered the advantages of milder climate and flatter terrain compared to routes further north. This acquisition intensified sectional tensions already brewing between the North and South, as the prospect of a southern transcontinental railroad favored Southern economic interests and potentially extended the reach of slavery.
