Convention of 1818 Signed
The Convention of 1818 was a significant agreement signed on October 20, 1818, by representatives of the United States and Great Britain in London. This convention primarily addressed territorial boundaries, establishing the northern limits of the Louisiana Purchase by defining the boundary between the U.S. and Canada along the 49th parallel, extending from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains. Additionally, it included provisions for the Oregon country, allowing both American and British citizens to settle in this region without forfeiting territorial claims for a period of ten years. Beyond territorial issues, the convention also encompassed matters related to fishing rights, granting American citizens access to the coastal waters of Labrador and Newfoundland. Furthermore, it renewed a commercial agreement that facilitated trade between the United States and the East Indies, eliminating discriminatory tariffs on imported goods. This agreement marked an important step in shaping North American borders and fostering cooperative relations between the two nations during a period of expansion and growth.
Convention of 1818 Signed
Convention of 1818 Signed
On October 20, 1818, representatives of the United States and Great Britain signed a convention in London. The terms of this agreement established the northernmost limits of the Louisiana Purchase by setting the boundary between the United States and Canada at the 49th parallel from the Lake of the Woods west to the crest of the Rocky Mountains. In addition the 1818 document provided that Oregon country, which lay west of the Rockies, would remain open to settlement by both American and British citizens for ten years without either nation's forfeiting its territorial claim in the Pacific Northwest.
The convention of 1818 also dealt with matters not directly related to territorial disputes. One article granted American citizens fishing rights in the coastal waters of Labrador and Newfoundland. Another renewed the commercial agreement of 1815 that permitted the United States to trade in the East Indies and ended discriminatory duties on imported goods.