Oregon territory

By James C. VanderKam

Who had it first?

• First,Britain and the U.S. had like a joint territory.• Then lots of northern Americans moved there. • The northern states were more in favor of seizing

control of all of Oregon, whereas the south was less in favor and wanted to keep friendly with the U.K. so they could sell cotton to them.

So how did the U.S. get it?

• The U.S. almost went to war.

• Eventually,in 1846 a treaty was reached that gave the U.S. the southern part of Oregon.

Map of Oregon( It actually extended into south west Canada and

Vancouver island,but the treaty gave that part to the U.K)

Important people

• James K. Polk was president and helped to solve the dispute over Oregon’s northern border. He was actually in favor of getting all of Oregon country.

• Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were some of the first Americans to settle in the territory, and Narcissa sent letters back describing great farmland. This sent lots of Americans there in the late 1830s and the 1840s .