This settlement of a long-standing U.S.-British dispute over the border between Maine and New Brunswick set a precedent for amicable relations between North American neighbors that would reap dividends in the Oregon settlement four years later.
The Webster-Ashburton Treaty settled a boundary controversy that had irritated Anglo-American relations since the Treaty of Paris
Canadian Border[2260]
The boundary problem arose from ignorance about the geography of the northeastern region and of the failure of the negotiators at Paris in 1783 to attach maps to the treaty with boundary lines clearly marked upon them. The treaty language stated that the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick was to be the St. Croix River from Passamaquoddy Bay to its source, and then “a line drawn due north, from the source of the St. Croix River, to the Highlands which divide those rivers which empty into the River St. Lawrence from those which fall into the Atlantic Ocean.” The problem was that British and American surveyors could not agree on which of two streams emptying into Passamaquoddy Bay was the St. Croix River. Moreover, the “highlands” mentioned in the treaty were not identified clearly enough to satisfy either side. As a result, until the boundary was definitely fixed, the inhabitants of an area of approximately 7.7 million acres did not know whether they owed allegiance to Canada or to the United States.
Over the years, numerous efforts were made to settle the conflict. One provision of Jay’s Treaty in 1794
No further attempt to resolve the border dispute was made until the negotiations at Ghent
When the joint commission failed to reach agreement, King William I
The 1830’s witnessed numerous incidents related to the boundary issue, which further heightened the tension between the United States and Great Britain. The Canadian insurrection of 1837
More directly related to the dispute was the so-called Aroostook War
The conflict was finally resolved in 1841, soon after Daniel Webster became secretary of state and Baron Ashburton, who had married a Philadelphia heir and had extensive financial interests in the United States, was appointed special envoy for Great Britain with powers to resolve the boundary controversy. Ashburton’s appointment signified the British government’s increased concern for Canadian issues. In the aftermath of Lord George Durham’s report, which had called attention to Great Britain’s previous neglect of the Canadian situation, the British government was determined to take Canadian matters in hand. Ashburton was instructed to negotiate amicably with the United States and to settle the border issue once and for all.
Even before Ashburton’s arrival, Webster had announced that the United States would consider a compromise boundary in the Northeast. As pro-British as any U.S. politician of his era, Webster was convinced that the dispute must be settled. To do so, however, the McLeod
The negotiation of the Canadian border treaty was a high personal priority for Webster. He saw it as the capstone of his tenure as secretary of state and prolonged his tenure in that office solely in order to negotiate the treaty. William Henry Harrison, the Whig president who had appointed him to the State Department, had died in 1841 after only one month in office, leaving the presidency to Vice President John Tyler
Webster and Ashburton began informal conversations in the autumn of 1841 and made rapid progress. They agreed to “split the difference” over the territory in dispute between Maine and New Brunswick. The United States won the line north of 45 degrees north latitude as the boundary of New York
The objections of Maine and Massachusetts to a compromise settlement, which were overcome only after strenuous efforts, resulted in the federal government’s paying $150,000 to each state. Jared Sparks
The Webster-Ashburton Treaty was an important achievement. It removed a source of potential international conflict and brought about an immediate improvement in Anglo-American relations. Historians agree that settlement of the Oregon controversy four years later would have been exceedingly difficult without use of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty as a precedent. Nevertheless, the negotiations, or more precisely Webster’s role in them, are accounted by some as a failure in United States diplomacy. By the treaty’s terms, the United States conceded approximately 5,000 of the disputed 12,000 square miles of territory to Great Britain. There now exists strong evidence (much of which was available to Secretary of State Webster, had he wished to uncover it) to support the validity of the original U.S. claims. On the other hand, concessions made by Ashburton in the Lake of the Woods region gave the United States clear title to 6,500 square miles of territory that later revealed valuable deposits of iron
The United States had fought two previous wars against British troops based in Canada. The Webster-Ashburton Treaty did much to ensure that no similar conflicts would ever happen again. Although Webster was accused of sacrificing more territory to the British than necessary, his flexibility no doubt contributed to British willingness to let the United States have the richest portions of the Oregon Territory only a few years later. Webster and Ashburton did much to guarantee the unprecedented amity and peace that prevailed on the United States-Canadian border in the centuries after their agreement.
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Bourne, Kenneth. Britain and the Balance of Power in North America, 1815-1908. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967. Adds a valuable perspective on the border dispute, but misleadingly implies that all the diplomatic cards were in Great Britain’s hands. -
Dunbabin, John P. “The 1831 Dutch Arbitration of the Canadian-American Boundary Dispute: Another View.” New England Quarterly 75, no. 4 (2002): 622-646. Draws extensively on Dutch documents to analyze the role of the Netherlands in the effort to resolve the Maine-New Brunswick border dispute. -
Jones, Howard. To the Webster-Ashburton Treaty: A Study in Anglo-American Relations, 1783-1843. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1977. Argues that the treaty ended the animosity between the United States and Great Britain. -
Peterson, Merrill D. The Great Triumvirate: Webster, Clay, and Calhoun. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. Study of three outstanding early nineteenth century American statesmen that examines Webster’s motives during the treaty negotiations. -
Remini, Robert V. Daniel Webster: The Man and His Time. New York: W. W. Norton, 1997. Important biography of Daniel Webster that provides a meticulously researched and balanced portrayal. -
Sassaman, Richard. “A Borderline War.” American History 35, no. 6 (2001): 20-27. Concise discussion of the Maine-Brunswick boundary dispute its origins to its successful resolution in 1842. -
Stevens, Kenneth R. Border Diplomacy: The Caroline and McLeod Affairs in Anglo-American-Canadian Relations, 1837-1842. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1989. Most important work to date on the Webster-Ashburton treaty and its diplomatic background. Gives an account of each side’s perspectives during the negotiations.
Astorian Expeditions Explore the Pacific Northwest Coast
Treaty of Ghent Takes Effect
Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad Opens
Rebellions Rock British Canada
Aroostook War
Upper and Lower Canada Unite
United States Acquires Oregon Territory
Treaty of Washington Settles U.S. Claims vs. Britain
John Tyler; Daniel Webster.