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Oregon Territory- a territory claimed by both the United States and Great Britain,
which included Washington, Oregon, Idaho, part of Montana, and British Columbia
(Canada).
- Earlier claimed by Spain and Russia
Oregon Question- actually a dispute between Great Britain and the United States
over boundary lines of the Oregon Territory
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Area of land disputed between 42nd
parallel of latitude (Mexico territory)
and the 54 degrees, 40 minutes line (Russian/British territory)
- Great Britain based their claims of the territory on explorations and discoveries of
Captain James Cook in 1778.
- The United States claims were based on Robert Gray who mapped the Columbia
River.
- Oregon was rich in furs, prompting “mountain men” fur trappers to leave home
for the Oregon Territory. These men wandered and trapped without making permanent
settlements throughout the land.
- 1805 John Jacob Astor started the American Fur Company
and eventually became the riches man in the U.S.
- Dr. John McLoughlin started the Hudson Bay Company and
unofficially ruled the territory from Fort Vancouver
- Americans wanted the boundary set at the 49th parallel
- British wanted the boundary to extend south along the Columbia
River in order to take advantage of the fur trade. This denied America
access to a deep sea port to the Pacific Ocean
- 1818 the U.S. and G.B. decided that ownership and operation of the
Oregon Territory was considered a “joint occupancy” with any
arguments to be settled at a later time
- Negotiations over a boundary failed over the decades to come
- Population included French Canadians, Hawaiians, Algonquians, and
Iroquois; Americans eventually began to heavily populate the region,
attributing to the rise in tensions over the disputed territory
Election of 1844- Democrat, James K. Polk vs. Whig, Henry Clay
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Polk was known as a “dark horse” because he was virtually unknown
His platform was expansionism and he defeats Clay because he promises to add
Texas, Oregon, California, and the New Mexico territories
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He also vows to lower the tariff (tax on imported goods) and set up an Independent
Treasury System
Months before Polk’s inauguration, John Tyler, the outgoing President, decides
to leapfrog Polk’s plans and pushes Congress to annex (take control of) Texas in
December of 1845.
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Polk stated, in his inaugural address, that the U.S. title to Oregon was clear and
unquestionable
Tensions grew even more between the two countries and both sides began to
fortify their borders
-
Polk was bold in his language, but he actually had no desire to go to war over the
territory; he believed that the U.S. must stand firm until a resolution favorable to the
U.S. was agreed upon
- The slogan “54o 40’ or fight” became popular at this time and was tied to Polk
- War with the U.S. would hurt Great Britain immensely—the U.S. was a major trading
partner and with the Irish potato famine in full swing, Britain was on the verge of a
food crisis (American wheat)
- Negotiations between the two countries were fragile
- U.S. proposed a boundary at the 49th parallel
- British secretly decided to accept the proposal (keep open negotiations)
- Negotiations became complicated because John Tyler previously offered
the British unrestricted navigation on the river if the 49th parallel proposal
was accepted
- Polk renewed this proposal minus the free navigation factor; the British
rejected the proposal; Polk removed the offer from the table
- Negotiations were closed
- Newspapers pleaded with Polk to claim the entire Oregon Territory under the
Manifest Destiny moniker
- Instead of war, both sides agreed on a compromise over the territory
- 49th parallel would be the boundary line with British subjects allowed to
navigate the Columbia River
- Polk criticized by some for bringing the U.S. to the brink of war with
Great Britain
- Ultimately his popularity did increase and this incident was viewed as a
diplomatic victory for Polk