Slavery: Reshaping the US-Mexico relationship from 1859 to 1910

Abstract

The thesis examines the impact and repercussions of slavery known as debt peonage in Mexico on the bilateral relationship with the United States during the second half of the nineteenth century. It argues that many American politicians and legislators knew about the slavery system in Mexico, which was one of the main reasons to oppose two trade agreements beneficial to the United States. The proportion of Congress against slavery was enough to reject institutional agreements with Mexico. It also argues that the slavery politics that divided the North and the South of the United States before the Civil War were a key feature to shape the relationship with Mexico in the following century. The slavery that prevailed in Mexico until the Mexican Revolution weakened the bilateral relationship with the United States due to its progress in human rights and the threat of returning slavery forces into the country.