Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

Damms, Richard

Committee Member

Barbier, Kathryn

Committee Member

Giesen, James

Committee Member

Thompson, Joseph

Date of Degree

8-12-2026

Original embargo terms

Embargo 2 years

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

History

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of History

Abstract

In 1864, the Rio Grande, the natural boundary between the United States and Mexico in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez changed course and left acres of Mexican land on the side of the United Sates. What began as a natural occurrence of a river changing course, became a century long border dispute between the United States and Mexico. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy sought a resolution of the dispute in the context of his hemispheric Cold War policy aims. After Kennedy’s death, President Lyndon B. Johnson effected the terms of the settlement. This dissertation examines the Chamizal land settlement in the context of two presidential administrations and their Cold War policies, while also placing the people and land the settlement affected within the larger diplomatic story. This dissertation thus argues that the Chamizal settlement was not merely a small diplomatic episode or boundary resolution, but rather a critical episode that shaped U.S.-Mexico relations in the 1960s. In relation, it argues that for Kennedy, the settlement was part of an effort to rebuild hemispheric relations through reform in the form of the Alliance for Progress. For Johnson, the Chamizal became an example of pragmatic bilateral diplomacy that emphasized cooperation and ceremonial diplomacy. Johnson thus used the settlement to signal a stable partnership in Latin America. In the end, the land in dispute was exchanged, people were relocated, and both nations cemented their natural and political boundary.

Download

Available for download on Saturday, September 09, 2028

Share

COinS