In the nineteenth century, the young United States had focused her eyes towards the West. The country had various economic and political reasons for expanding westward, but the Americans also had created an exuberance of American patriotism during this time period. The belief of “manifest destiny” deemed that it was the destiny of the United States to exalt her dominance over the entirety of North America. This put the “Oregon Country” in the crosshairs of American expansionism. However, the Americans were not the only ones interested in this territory. The Russians, British, and Spanish had also made claims to this territory. The dispute was put at the focal point for American politics as the situation escalated to the point of many Americans calling for war if no resolution was found. The disputed territory was known to Americans as “Oregon Country” while the British referred to it as the “Columbia District”. The territory was comprised of the present day Canadian province of British Columbia, the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as parts of the states of Montana and Wyoming. While the exact date of the first European encounter in the region is unknown, it is suggested that the Spanish may have made it there as early as 1543. There were many Native Americans in the region and they had mostly peaceful relations with the Europeans and engaged in fur trade activities. However, like other European encounters with the Native population, it ended badly for the Natives as disease nearly wiped out the entire population in the region. The Russians and British began exploring the region in the eighteenth century, and the Americans followed soon after in the early nineteenth century. Why would these countries be so interested in a region that is very far away from their control?
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The Europeans and Americans had a common interest in the region: fur trade. The fur trade in the region with the Natives proved to be the dominant economic force in the region and would make the Oregon Territory a valuable region for all countries involved. As the Spanish revoked all claims north of the 42nd parallel in the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819, they did not establish a company to participate in the fur trade. However, the Russians, British, and Americans each established a company to participate in this trade. The Russians created the Russian-American Company, the British used the North West Company, and the Americans relied on the Pacific Fur Company. The Russians were unable to colonize in the region and instead established the southern border of Russian America in present day Alaska. With the Spanish and Russians abandoning their interest in the region by the 1820’s, the Americans and the British became the main competitors in the region’s lucrative fur trade. The Pacific Fur Company eventually fell apart, with its assets liquidated to North West Company (who eventually merged with the Hudson Bay Company and took on its name). The Treaty of 1818 established a joint occupancy in the area between the Americans and British for ten years as the countries could not agree on a defined boundary. The joint occupation ran relatively smoothly throughout the ten year agreement. However, the problems reemerged as the treaty neared its expiration. The second round of negotiations conducted in the 1820’s did not resolve the matter. The debate over where the boundary should be set caused the dispute. The Americans wanted the boundary to be set at the 49th …show more content…
had a claim to the entirety of the Oregon Territory. Indeed, Polk would recommend to Congress to give the British a one-year notice declaring the U.S. intention to end the joint occupation of the region. Despite his statements, Polk was not interested in going to war over the territory. While he did sincerely believe that America had a stronger claim to the region than the British, he understood that the U.S. would be at a major disadvantage in a war with the British. The British had no intention of going to war either, as the economic importance of the region had decreased as the Hudson Bay Company shifted focus from the fur trade to shipping. However the British understood that they were the superior power in the situation, and were prepared to use that to their advantage during this
The Europeans and Americans had a common interest in the region: fur trade. The fur trade in the region with the Natives proved to be the dominant economic force in the region and would make the Oregon Territory a valuable region for all countries involved. As the Spanish revoked all claims north of the 42nd parallel in the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819, they did not establish a company to participate in the fur trade. However, the Russians, British, and Americans each established a company to participate in this trade. The Russians created the Russian-American Company, the British used the North West Company, and the Americans relied on the Pacific Fur Company. The Russians were unable to colonize in the region and instead established the southern border of Russian America in present day Alaska. With the Spanish and Russians abandoning their interest in the region by the 1820’s, the Americans and the British became the main competitors in the region’s lucrative fur trade. The Pacific Fur Company eventually fell apart, with its assets liquidated to North West Company (who eventually merged with the Hudson Bay Company and took on its name). The Treaty of 1818 established a joint occupancy in the area between the Americans and British for ten years as the countries could not agree on a defined boundary. The joint occupation ran relatively smoothly throughout the ten year agreement. However, the problems reemerged as the treaty neared its expiration. The second round of negotiations conducted in the 1820’s did not resolve the matter. The debate over where the boundary should be set caused the dispute. The Americans wanted the boundary to be set at the 49th …show more content…
had a claim to the entirety of the Oregon Territory. Indeed, Polk would recommend to Congress to give the British a one-year notice declaring the U.S. intention to end the joint occupation of the region. Despite his statements, Polk was not interested in going to war over the territory. While he did sincerely believe that America had a stronger claim to the region than the British, he understood that the U.S. would be at a major disadvantage in a war with the British. The British had no intention of going to war either, as the economic importance of the region had decreased as the Hudson Bay Company shifted focus from the fur trade to shipping. However the British understood that they were the superior power in the situation, and were prepared to use that to their advantage during this