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Gadsden Purchase
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A 1953 three cent U.S. postage stamp in red, featuring a covered wagon, a rider on horseback, cacti, and a map marking the 1853 Gadsden Purchase region. Map of the United States from 1822 to 1854, showing state and territorial boundaries over time. States as of 1822 are shaded yellow, states admitted from 1823 to 1854 are in purple, territories in 1854 are orange, the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico in 1853 is pink, and land ceded to the U.S. by Texas in 1850 is green. Major territories such as Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, and Indian Territory are labeled, along with state admission years. Insets at the bottom display evolving bounda Map highlighting major U.S. land acquisitions, with regions colored in orange to show areas gained through the Louisiana Purchase, Alaska Purchase, Gadsden Purchase, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Florida Purchase, Danish Virgin Islands, and the Philippines. Inset labels provide each acquisition's year, seller, acreage, and cost at the time and in 2024 dollars.
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Also called:
Treaty of La Mesilla
Date:
December 30, 1853
Participants:
Mexico
United States
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A 1953 three cent U.S. postage stamp in red, featuring a covered wagon, a rider on horseback, cacti, and a map marking the 1853 Gadsden Purchase region.
Gadsden Purchase U.S. postage stamp commemorating the Gadsden Purchase.

Gadsden Purchase

United States-Mexican history
Also known as: Gadsden Purchase Treaty, Treaty of La Mesilla
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History
Map of the United States from 1822 to 1854, showing state and territorial boundaries over time. States as of 1822 are shaded yellow, states admitted from 1823 to 1854 are in purple, territories in 1854 are orange, the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico in 1853 is pink, and land ceded to the U.S. by Texas in 1850 is green. Major territories such as Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, and Indian Territory are labeled, along with state admission years. Insets at the bottom display evolving bounda
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United States: 1822–54The United States, 1822–54.
Map highlighting major U.S. land acquisitions, with regions colored in orange to show areas gained through the Louisiana Purchase, Alaska Purchase, Gadsden Purchase, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Florida Purchase, Danish Virgin Islands, and the Philippines. Inset labels provide each acquisition's year, seller, acreage, and cost at the time and in 2024 dollars.
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History of U.S. land acquisitionsBetween 1803 and 1917, the United States acquired more than 1,388,000,000 acres (2,168,750 square miles, or about 5,617,000 square km) of land. The land acquired through the Mexican Cession is in the southwest (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo).

Gadsden Purchase, (December 30, 1853), transaction that followed the conquest of much of northern Mexico by the United States in 1848. Known in Mexican history as the sale of the Mesilla Valley, it assigned to the United States nearly 30,000 additional square miles (78,000 square km) of northern Mexican territory (La Mesilla), now southern Arizona and southern New Mexico, in exchange for $10 million. Prompted in part by advocates of a southern transcontinental railroad, for which the most practical route would pass through the acquired territory, the purchase was negotiated by the U.S. minister to Mexico, James Gadsden. Residents of the territory were to enjoy the same protections as those afforded to residents of the area ceded to the United States earlier by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Mindy Johnston.
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