Oregon Boundary Dispute in 1845

In the early nineteenth century, the United States and several European powers competed to wrest control over the Pacific coast of North America from American Indians.. By the 1820s, Russia occupied the northern portion of the coast, while Spain (and later Mexico) claimed the southern portion. The struggle for the remaining territory between the latitudes of 42° and 54°40′ North, which the United States called the Oregon Country, fell between the United States and the British Empire. Both sought this territory to advance commercial interests such as the fur trade. Oregon Country was also the only remaining area on the west coast where either country could build Pacific Ocean ports to access burgeoning trade routes. Despite long negotiations, the United States and the British Empire could not agree on a boundary to divide the territory. Neither was willing to relinquish the critical area between the Columbia River and the forty-ninth parallel. This swath of land contains Puget Sound—the region’s best natural harbor. In 1818, the two countries settled for a stalemate, establishing a treaty of joint occupation over the Oregon Country. By the 1840s, however, this agreement grew strained. The United States and British Empire initially used the territory mainly for trapping and trade. However, driven by economic depression in 1837 and the expansionist ideology of manifest destiny, thousands of U.S. migrants had begun to settle permanently in Oregon. Between 1840 and 1845, five thousand settlers journeyed west and began establishing a permanent presence. Migrants even created provisional governments to administer the region. With more settlers arriving each year, public pressure to cement U.S. control over Oregon grew. 

In 1844, amid fierce public debate about the limits of  United States expansion, Democrat James K. Polk was elected president. Polk’s campaign centered on manifest destiny and relied on supporters of Oregon annexation, to whom he promised to claim the entire Oregon Country. Polk reiterated his promise at his inauguration, claiming, “Our title to the country of the Oregon is ‘clear and unquestionable,’ and already are our people preparing to perfect that title by occupying it.” Democratic newspapers began pressing for immediate annexation. Opposition to annexation and proponents for compromise were denounced and accused of harboring British sympathies. Slogans such as “Fifty-Four Forty or Fight” emerged, promoting the hard line. The British saw Polk’s stance as a challenge to the empire’s honor and a threat to British economic interests. As a result, London responded with their own threats. Officials declared the Royal Navy was prepared to commission a force in defense of Oregon that would overwhelm the U.S. Navy. As tensions mounted, both countries prepared for the possibility of war. In the summer of 1845 Washington offered a compromise. Polk put forward again the initial U.S. proposal to divide Oregon along the forty-ninth parallel. This placed Puget Sound on the American side of the border. The British rejected this offer, however, and Polk ceased negotiations.