Acquisition of Oregon
- Started in the far to the north and west of Texas
- United States and several other nations vied for the Oregon Country: the land north of California and west of the Rocky Mountains
- The territory was variously claimed from the sixteenth century by Spain, Russia, Britain, and the United States. However
- The two nations agreed in 1818 to a "joint occupation" of Oregon in which citizens of both countries could settle; this arrangement lasted until 1846.
- Map showing region claimed by both the United States and Britain until 1846, including Vancouver Island to the north
- The Oregon settlers from the United States and Britain were very different groups
- The British were chiefly fur traders associated with the Hudson's Bay Company, while the Americans were a more eclectic lot
- American settlement began in the 1830s when Protestant missionaries moved into the Wilmette Valley
- Their accounts of the fertile soil of the region spread rapidly to the East and spurred a massive migration of thousands of American families westward along the Oregon Trail
- The resulting population disparity along with an overall decline in the fur trade, convinced the British government to work for a negotiated settlement to the Oregon issue
- As with Texas, popular opinion over the Oregon Country was divided
- Whereas Texas territory would have added proslavery representation in Congress, any potential states formed from the Oregon Country would be free states. Accordingly, Northerners were the chief advocates of acquiring as much Oregon Country as possible
The Acquisition of Oregon started in farther to the north and west of Texas, and the United States. It started with the nations of Oregon Country such as North California and West of the Rocky Mountains. The Oregon settlers from the United States and Britain were really different groups. Such as the British were fur traders with the Hudson's Bay Company. And Americans were more the ones who derives ideas to others. More of the population wanted to be a fur trader but they were decline in the fur trade.