Welcome back to class. Today we will be discussing the oregon country, specifically the oregon boundary and the process by the United States and Great Britain negotiated the boundaries between the United States, canada as we know them today, starting in. 1818, Great Britain and the United States agreed to a joint occupancy of the oregon country that occupancy would last for the next three decades. By 1846, the two nations would sign a treaty that established the borders as know them today. And so in class, lets walk through those three decades of history, talk about the different interests that the two nations had in the regions. Youll see the differences in approaches to colonization on the part of Great Britain and the united all building up to the resolution of the oregon boundary. All right. Lets step back a little bit and lets begin with general process, by which the United States established itself as a nation and asserted control over borders. There are two broad factors at play here. When we. Territorial acquisition by the United States the first the United States needed dispossess the indigenous of the continent and extinguish their claims their land. Now this manifests federal indian policy and the removal of native peoples to reservations in the Pacific Northwest. That process starts in the 1850s. Thats going to be a subject, a future lecture. The second broad factor, which we will discuss today, is that the United States, the United States needed to interact with other nonnative tive powers, particularly the nations of europe, in order to define american to territory. Now, most american. Came into the nations possession by wars or purchases the revolutionary war, as you see here on this slide, produced most the territory east of the Mississippi River. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 brought most of the lands between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains into the nation and then war with mexico. In 1846 to 1848. In incorporated american southwest and then in 1867 the United States purchased alaska from russia. And so see, with each of those territorial acquisitions, they are functions of war and or purchase. The terra that that becomes the Pacific Northwest however was appended to the nation in a somewhat unusual faction not war or not purchase rather the Pacific Northwest, the oregon country went through a phase which the two primary claimants to the region thats the United States and Great Britain agreed to share it for an indefinite time. This is the socalled joint occupation i referred to earlier the the convention of 1818 was an agreement between Great Britain and the United States that resolve territorial disputes following the war of 1812, the convention of 1818, first established the 49th parallel as the border from the great lakes to the Rocky Mountains. So this is the northern of the United States as we know it today. The border that separates present day north dakota from manitoba, montana, saskatchewan and alberta and so on. And so that convention of 18, 18. Then establish that border at the 49th parallel from the great lakes in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west. And then the convention of. 1818 authorized the joint occupancy of the oregon country, whereby the rights of both british and american citizens to occupy and to trade in the region would be respected respected. Now, the second way then that the Pacific Northwest becomes american territory that differs from other acquisitions is that the was not resolved by war or by but rather by treaty. The two nations signed a treaty in 1846 in which britain and the United States negotiated a final resolution to this dispute. This was complemented by similar agreements on the east coast resolved in 1842 between maine and canada and both sets of regulations, then or both sets of negotiations me were part of a process whereby the two nations reached a substantial accommodation with one another, particularly after conflicts of the American Revolution and the war of 1812. All right. Lets take a look at the oregon country and define exactly what it is were talking here. The oregon country generally defined as region from the Rocky Mountains in east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, from. 42nd parallel in the south. This is the border between today, between oregon and california. And then north to 54 degrees, 40 minutes of latitude. Thats todays between alaska and columbia. Now, as you know from previous lectures, much of this was initially claimed by spain in 1770s. And the 1780s, even spains withdrawal from newcastle found on Vancouver Island, the 1790s. Spain still maintains a presence rather limited but still a presence on the northwest coast, in part virtue of its holdings in. California. We also have to remember russia, which by 1790 had established its colony in russian america or alaska, the north. And remember the russians had also established a trading post fort ross on the western, the california coast, north of San Francisco. So initially, least spain and russia are still nominally involved in the oregon country by about 1820. However, spain and russia had withdrawn from the region mostly for reasons. And so this leaves britain and the United States as two primary claimants to the region. All right. Remember the british presence in the oregon country took the form of the Hudsons Bay Company prior to the 1820s. The hudsons Company Operated exclusively east of the Rocky Mountains. This was in all lands that were part of the watershed, draining into hudsons bay and the hbc held a monopoly, a crown on all Economic Activity in that region in 1821. However, the Hudsons Bay Company merged with the northwest company and acquired its assets and holdings in the oregon country country. And here again, there see george simpson, who was the director, the governor of the abcs columbia department, which headquartered in Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River. Excuse me me. Now, American Interest in the oregon country at this time took the form not of any institutional of the national government, as was the case with britain and its monopoly company, the Hudsons Bay Company, but rather American Interest in the oregon country in this era took the form of individual individual americans who had migrated to the region. As weve discussed previous classes, the mountain men such as jedediah smith, these are fur trappers from the Rocky Mountains. Began to filter into oregon in the late 1820s, and then the 1830s, as we missionaries american missionaries begin to enter the region. Henry and eliza spalding, marcus and narcissa whitman. Here you see Marcus Whitman in a in an image. Marcus whitman arriving on the great divide, basically cresting Rocky Mountains and beginning entrance into the oregon country on the 4th of july, 1836. And these missionaries, of course, were arriving, the oregon country, in an attempt to convert indians janus peoples to christianity. But also to proselytize to the increasing numbers of of settlers american settlers who were arriving in oregon. That said, however the american presence in oregon was fairly limited initially at least 1840, there were only about 150 americans residing in the oregon country. Only 150 in that entire region. That would increase dramatically, however, by 45, just five years later, about 5000 u. S. Settlers had entered oregon country. Many having traveled overland on the famous oregon trail, and many them clustered in the Willamette Valley in present day state of oregon, drawn to the Willamette Valley, primarily for the regions fertile farmland. Remember also that in the 1830s epidemic disease such as smallpox, measles also a malarial in the willamette and Columbia River valleys in the 1830s had devastated communities. In the valley. Death rates for some native communities was as high as 90 . And so when missionaries and american fur trappers began, the country, they found Willamette Valley and other parts of. The oregon country depopulated. And they view this as open land theirs for the taking, not mention evidence of the providence of god that had directed them to these open lands. And so. From the 1820s to the mid 1840s, weve got the Hudsons Bay Company and then american settlers jointly occupying the oregon country. Exactly as had been spelled out in the convention of 1818 over time. Then both groups sought to their claims to the region now neither britain nor the United States expected to gain full control of. Lets at this map again east of the Continental Divide that is east of the Rocky Mountains, the us and britain, the convention of 1818 had agreed on that border running along the 49th parallel from the great lakes in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west. Now, virtually from the start discussion over oregon, the british, except that border to continue west along the 49th parallel to the columbia. And then from there to follow the river to the ocean. So here we see the 49th parallel extending from the east. The british expected were the 49th parallel intersect did with the Columbia River. The border would then follow the columbia down into present day Washington State and out the mouth of the columbia at the border between present day Washington State and oregon. So the british were willing, in other words, to conceal read to the United States. All lands south and of the columbia. But they wanted to maintain access to the river itself, which of course, was the main transportation for the company. Remember, the Hudsons Bay Company had a number of trading posts, not just the columbia, the willamette and the snake and other rivers in the territory and so the british hoping that the border would follow the Columbia River would enable them to keep access to the Columbia River. And hold on to the trading forts that they had established along river. They wanted control over puget sound, which they rightly regarded as a superior harbor on the northwest coast. Now americans, for their part, did not expect to acquire any territory north of. The 49th parallel, but they also coveted puget sound and access to strait of juan de fuca fuca. Keep in mind that during the 1820s and the 1830s, the United States no good harbor on the pacific, san diego and San Francisco were first spanish outposts and then and then later part of mexico. The shoreline of oregon offers few good harbors and the mouth of the columbia, where the columbia empties into the Pacific Ocean. That region. Was notorious for interfere with attempts to to to travel from the river to ocean or from the ocean into the until the conclusion of war with mexico. In 1848, the us regarded puget sound as best protected deep harbor on the Pacific Coast coast. And so the boundary then between these two nations essentially down to puget sound and the area of land, the region between the Columbia River and the 49th parallel. So we look again at this map. Britain prepared to concede to the states, everything to the south and east of the Columbia River. Britain hoped to this region right here present day western washington everything north and west of the columbia and south of the 49th parallel, including puget americans, for their part, desired same area and wanted border between the two nations to run along the 49th parallel. All the way to the ocean. What were really talking about here then as far as this this this conflict thats controversy is this right here present day western washington. All right. Let me pause here for a sec. Any questions. Question was always assumed to be in british control. Vancouver island. I wouldnt say anything assumed necessarily if. The 49th parallel had historical precedent. And so the states expected nothing north of 49th parallel. But Vancouver Island, of course, is this sort of anomaly where the 49th parallel runs right through it. So there were no assumptions necessarily with regard to Vancouver Island, but the british certainly coveted that as well. Like the strait of georgia, the around the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Yeah. Other questions, everybody cool. All right. Remember, folks, i always say i understand every word thats coming of my mouth. If any of this is not clear, please stop me and ask for clarification clarification. All right right. So disputed area, britain and the United States both hoping to acquire the area surrounding puget sound, the british initially. Oh, question. Fred, you have a question on the top of this map. It says extra u. S. Claim. Does that mean that we claimed that part north to be part of alaska in certain respects, were actually going to get to the us going all the way to 50 or 40, a little bit later on today. But yes, the United States certainly, lee, especially given sort of the mood of National Expansion ism in the 1840s, which were going to talk about a little bit later, the United States certainly had designs on the entire Pacific Coast. Yeah, the William Henry seward secretary, state, two president s lincoln and the man who negotiated the treaty of session with russia that purchase alaska in 1867. William seward, even before he was of state when he was a senator from new york in the 1840s. He was an ardent expansionist who made no secret of the fact that he hoped to acquire not just alaska, but also British Columbia. And so yes certainly how serious the american claims were that far north is a is a matter for debate but it certainly was the Public Discourse it certainly was of interest to americans. Yeah, well, ill say more about that later on in lecture today. Thanks. Youre welcome. All right. So when it comes to this dispute then in the disputed area, Great Britain initially had a much stronger hand, then did the United States remember, George Vancouver had been the european to explore puget sound, not just explore it. He named it right he named it for for one of his one of his countrymen, peter puget. The Hudsons Bay Company, in the course of organizing the region as a colony and then a and an economy of extractive resources had established Fort Vancouver on, the Columbia River, a number of forts and trading posts, not just on the columbia, but also on the fraser and snake and other rivers of the oregon country country. And the bay company had also cultivate it and developed mostly cordial relationships with the Indigenous Peoples of the region. Remember the Hudsons Bay Company could not function without native labor. Many of the furs, both in the maritime fur trade of the 1700s, and then the land based fur trade of the early 1800s. Much of those furs were being harvested not by the european colonizers, but by peoples who then traded with the europeans for those furs. And so it was in the interest of the Hudsons Bay Company to develop with native peoples, which the company had done to great economic, not to mention social and political in the era. So britain has wellestablished claims and not