explain the Gadsden Purchase

Answer 1

The Gadsden Purchase was a treaty between the United States and Mexico in 1853. The treaty was negotiated by James Gadsden, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, and it resulted in the U.S. acquiring approximately 30,000 square miles of land in what is now southern Arizona and New Mexico. The land was purchased for $10 million and was intended to provide a route for a southern transcontinental railroad. The purchase also allowed the U.S. to gain control of the Mesilla Valley, which was a key strategic area for the defense of the southwestern border. The Gadsden Purchase was the last major acquisition of land by the United States from Mexico.