Since Spain was an ally of the United States in the Revolutionary War we did not subsequently assert those rights and claims against Spain.
That didn't mean they disappeared, just that any such territory was passed on to the United States by the several colonies that had been erected earlier in that same territory (to wit, the Carolinas and Georgia).
That's one of the reasons Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia have a WESTERN BOUNDARY ~ that's generally along the lines drawn by the Spanish ~ we even have several of their survey stones still in place around here. I believe the Indians ate the surveyors who were doing the work down in South Carolina, but the principal border is the same as set forth after the Treaty of London in 1604.
The Western land claims of our Southeastern states didn't disappear ~ they were transferred to the federal government. Later on it became necessary to assert them against Mexico, and you'll notice Mexico didn't even exist in the 1700s ~ they weren't there when all the meridians were established and baselines drawn and treaties arranged.
Frankly, when Nevada was admitted to the Union on an equal footing with Virginia, it was pretty darned equal, and included some of the same territory that'd been claimed by North Carolina in 1775.
My Constitution is hard and fast, and it says "equal" and it means "equal" ~ besides, a neighboring state just down the road has a more ancient, and superior claim to all the land in Nevada than do you if you want to argue it from that standpoint.
Claim jumpers got no call to argue the point! That "living document" stuff doesn't allow you to just steal stuff.
“All states shall be admitted into the union on an equal footing”.
The fed. do not get to change the rules of admission at their whim, the “Requirement” that Nevada cede it’s public lands to the Fed. as a condition of admittance as a state is hogwash.
You go too far back in an attempt to confuse the issue, the discussion is the admission of the Nevada territory as a state and the scandalous special punitive conditions the Fed. (Lincoln) placed on that admission.
Strict adherence to constitutional doctrine would require ALL the public lands that were not BOUGHT by the Fed. as specified in our constitution to be returned.
This would include the Yucca Mountain site, “Area 51”, several military bases, ammo dumps, “Wilderness”, “Public lands”, etc, in excess of 80% of the total state land area.
We are supposed to receive PILT funds per Fed. law, of course they are always late, and incomplete.
Thank you for hardening my position, I will do all I can next Saturday to guarantee that anyone even remotely sharing your view does NOT become our next congressman.