Date of Award
2023-06-01
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
History
Advisor(s)
Ignacio Martinez
Abstract
“The General Claims Commission & The Land Grant Heirs of South Texas: A Struggle for Restitution” examines how the General Claims Commission of 1923 fundamentally changed how Spanish and Mexican land grant heirs fought for legal restitution. Before the commission, the Texas legislature attempted to resolve the land grant question in South Texas by validating a large percentage of presented land titles through the Bourland and Miller Commission and later through the court system. However, questions about illegal land dispossession continued to linger in the region. This study will show that, although the creation of the General Claims Commission was initially meant to address losses of U.S. investments in Mexico caused during the Mexican Revolution, Mexico used the commission to argue that Mexican nationals living in Texas had been illegally dispossessed of their lands and thus deserved financial restitution for a total of $193 million. Previously, Texas land grant heirs had sought to validate their titles. However, after 1923, they no longer sought to regain their right to the land and instead sought financial compensation for the displacement of their ancestors.
Language
en
Provenance
Recieved from ProQuest
Copyright Date
2023-06
File Size
p.
File Format
application/pdf
Rights Holder
Juan Carlos Varela
Recommended Citation
Varela, Juan Carlos, "The General Claims Commission & The Land Grant Heirs of South Texas: A Struggle for Restitution" (2023). Open Access Theses & Dissertations. 3888.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/open_etd/3888