Oregon Treaty
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Image:Oregoncountry.png The Oregon Treaty, officially known as the Treaty with Great Britain, in Regard to Limits Westward of the Rocky Mountains, and also known as the Treaty of Washington, is a bilateral treaty between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846 in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country, which had been jointly occupied by both Britain and the U.S. since the Treaty of 1818.
Contents |
[edit] What led to the treaty
Joint occupation steadily grew intolerable for both sides. After a British minister rejected U.S. President James K. Polk's offer to settle the boundary at the 49th parallel north, Democratic expansionists called for the annexation of the entire region up to 54°40', the northern border of the Oregon Country. However, after the outbreak of the Mexican-American War diverted U.S. attention and resources, a compromise was reached.
[edit] Treaty negotiations
The treaty was negotiated by U.S. Secretary of State James Buchanan, who later became president, and Richard Pakenham, envoy to the United States and member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom for Queen Victoria. The treaty was signed on June 15, 1846.
The Oregon Treaty set the U.S. and British North American border at the 49th parallel with the exception of Vancouver Island, which was retained by the British. The 49th parallel became the U.S.-Canadian border between Washington and British Columbia when Canada was formed. The U.S. portion of the region was organized as Oregon Territory on August 14, 1848.
[edit] Treaty definitions
The treaty defined the border in the Strait of Juan de Fuca through the major channel.
- Due to difference in the location of the major shipping channel, both the British and the Americans had settled on the same islands.
- Navigation of "channel[s] and straits, south of the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, remain free and open to both parties."
- The Hudson's Bay Company retains the right to use the Columbia River.
[edit] Wars caused by treaty ambiguities
In 1859, an unclear description of the border in the treaty later led to the bloodless crisis known as the Pig War over the ownership of the San Juan Islands.
[edit] See also
| Image:Oregon state seal.png | Pioneer History of Oregon (1806 - 1890) |
|---|---|
| Topics |
Oregon Country · Oregon Treaty · Oregon missionaries · Executive Committee · Oregon Trail · Oregon boundary dispute · Pacific Fur Company · Hudson's Bay Company |
| Events |
Champoeg Meetings · Treaty of 1818 · Russo-American Treaty · Donation Land Claim Act · Whitman massacre |
| Places |
Fort Astoria · Oregon Mission · Fort Vancouver · Champoeg, Oregon · Willamette Stone · Barlow Road |
| People |
George Abernethy · Sam Barlow · Abigail Scott Duniway · Peter French · Joseph Gale · William Gilpin · David Hill · Jason Lee · John McLoughlin · Joseph Meek · Ezra Meeker · Marcus Whitman · Narcissa Whitman |
| Oregon History |
Native Peoples History · History to 1806 · Pioneer History · Modern History |
de:Oregon-Kompromiss io:Oregon kontrakto id:Traktat Oregon it:Trattato dell'Oregon ja:オレゴン条約 pl:Traktat oregoński pt:Tratado de Oregon de 1846
