This is one of those things that most of us probably never think about!
Something that we have taken for granted for so long, like the borders, had to be a real nightmare for new countries to figure out. After all, it wasn't just our country that was affected, but our new neighbors. Chances are they might be more than a little upset if we suddenly claimed a lot of their country as our own, don't you think?
This article from History.com can point this out very well!
Jun 15, 1846:
U.S.-Canadian border established
U.S.-Canadian border established
Representatives of Great Britain and the United States sign the Oregon Treaty, which settles a long-standing dispute with Britain over who controlled the Oregon territory. The treaty established the 49th parallel from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Georgia as the boundary between the United States and British Canada. The United States gained formal control over the future states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, and the British retained Vancouver Island and navigation rights to part of the Columbia River.
In 1818, a U.S.-British agreement had established the border along the 49th parallel from Lake of the Woods in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west. The two nations also agreed to a joint occupation of Oregon territory for 10 years, an arrangement that was extended for an additional 10 years in 1827. After 1838, the issue of who possessed Oregon became increasingly controversial, especially when mass American migration along the Oregon Trail began in the early 1840s.
American expansionists urged seizure of Oregon, and in 1844 Democrat James K. Polk successfully ran for president under the platform "Fifty-four forty or fight," which referred to his hope of bringing a sizable portion of present-day Vancouver and Alberta into the United States. However, neither President Polk nor the British government wanted a third Anglo-American war, and on June 15, 1846, the Oregon Treaty, a compromise, was signed. By the terms of the agreement, the U.S. and Canadian border was extended west along the 49th parallel to the Strait of Georgia, just short of the Pacific Ocean.
Can you imagine all the work involved in establishing the borders for a brand new country? Especially when the original founding fathers had absolutely no idea just what the layout of the land was. Remember that most of our country had never been explored, especially toward the west!
The task that lay before them had to be daunting, to say the least! Quite the undertaking, for sure! It really boggles the mind!
Let's get some fresh coffee and sit on the patio for a while! Gonna be another hot one!
