Map of the lands in dispute
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.
What led to the treaty
The Treaty of 1818 set the U.S.- Canadian boundary along the 49th parallel of north latitude from Minnesota to the "Stony
Mountains"[1] (now known as the Rocky
Mountains). West of those mountains was the Oregon Country, and the treaty
provided for joint control of that land for ten years. Both countries could claim land and both were guaranteed free navigation
throughout.
Joint control 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.
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.
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 "Puget's Sound Agricultural Company" retains the right to
their property north of the Columbia River, and shall be compensated for properties
surrendered if required by the United States.[2] (The Puget's Sound Agricultural Company was a subsidiary of the Hudson's Bay Company)
- The property rights of the Hudson's Bay Company and all British subjects south
of the new boundary will be respected.
Wars caused by treaty ambiguities
In 1859, an unclear description of the border in the treaty later led to the bloodless
war known as the Pig War over the ownership of the San
Juan Islands.
See also
References
- ^ LexUM (2000).
Convention of Commerce
between His Majesty and the United States of America.--Signed at London, 20th October, 1818. Canado-American Treaties.
Université de Montréal. Retrieved on 2006-03-27.
- ^ LexUM (1999). Treaty between Her Majesty and the United States of America, for the Settlement of the
Oregon Boundary. Canado-American Treaties. Université de Montréal. Retrieved on 2007-01-12.
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