The 19th Century
| 1821 — The War of Independence ends and Mexico declares its independence on September 27th |
| 1829 — Mexico abolishes slavery– 36 years before the US |
| 1835 — The Texas Revolution begins |
| 1836 — Texas declares independence from Mexico as the Republic of Texas |
| 1846 — The Mexican-American war begins |
| 1847 — The American Army occupies Mexico City |
| 1848 — The Mexican-American War ends with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The U.S. gains territory including California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. |
The 20th Century
| 1910 — The Mexican Revolution |
| 1917 — The Mexican Constitution is adopted |
| 1930 — Mexico experiences long period of economic growth |
| 1942 — Mexico joins the Allies in World War II declaring war on Germany and Japan. |
| 1942 — The Bracero program calls on Mexicans for US labor shortage |
| 1947 — Rio Treaty codifies the “hemispheric defense doctrine” |
| 1954 — Operation “wetback” deports over 50,000 |
| 1968 — Summer Olympics/The Tlatelolco Massacre |
| 1969 — The War on Drugs begins |
| 1982 — Mexican economic crisis, migrants cross border seeking work |
| 1985 — A huge 8.1 level earthquake hits Mexico City. Much of the city is destroyed and over 10,000 people are killed. |
| 1993 — The North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and the United States is ratified. |
| 1994 — Value of Mexican peso plunges in international markets |
| 1994 — Criminalization of the Border |
| 1998 — Collaboration on Counternarcotics |
The 21st Century
| 2004 — Expansion of US border patrol |
| 2006 — Felipe Calderon Wins Election and G.W. Bush signs legislation for 7 hundred miles of fencing at border |
| 2006 — Drug-related killings peak |
| 2007 — Mexican immigration peaks in US |
| 2010 — Arizona Immigration Law requires officers to inquire about immigration status |
| 2016 — Donald Trump campaigns on “Build the Wall” |
The Book of Unknown Americans Homepage
Zoe James-Collins, 2019