US Territorial Expansion - The Oregon Territory 1846
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U.S. Territorial Expansion (1783-1959)
Lesson Plans by Richard Cleggett
After the United States gained their independence, they set their sights on the territory to the west, and the expansion carried on into the 20th century. War, economics, culture, and innovation are prevalent and recurring themes surrounding territorial expansion. Engage students with premade activities and storyboards with Storyboard That.
Storyboard Description
US Territorial Expansion | Westward Expansion
Storyboard Text
- WHO WAS INVOLVED?
- WHERE DOES THIS OCCUR?
- WHEN IS THIS?
- Isn't this American Territory?!
- Several major figures were involved in negotiations concerning the Oregon Territory. The dispute lay between the United States and Great Britain. By 1846, President James K. Polk, a British Minister, Secretary of State James C. Buchanan, British Lord Aberdeen, and Senator John C. Calhoun agreed on a compromise.
- The dispute of the Oregon Territory occurred in what is presently the Northwest United States. Debate raged over where the boundary lay between British Canada and the U.S., whether it should exist at 54 degrees, 40 minutes or the 49th parallel. The border was eventually compromised at the 49th parallel.
- The Oregon Territory had been disputed for years, going as far back as 1818. By 1843, American settlers were pouring into the region, and with ideas of manifest destiny, felt that they were entitled to the region. British subjects felt likewise. In 1846, the United States and Great Britain compromised on the 49th parallel as their border.
- I thought this was British territory!?
- WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
- 5 Ws: ACQUISITION OF THE OREGON TERRITORY, 1846
- WHAT HAPPENS?
- We have achieved our manifest destiny, Mr. President!
- Settling of dispute over the Oregon Territory holds much historical significance. It quelled a possible war with Great Britain. The U.S. was already in the midst of war in Mexico, and war in the Northwest would have proved costly. The region provided America with profitable fur trades, fisheries, and access to the Pacific Ocean.
- The Oregon Territory acquisition was rather uneventful. Both American and British citizens settled the region, laying claim to it. As tensions rose, Americans adopted the slogan "54' 40' or Fight!", relating to their desired boundary. However, through peaceful compromise, Great Britain and the U.S. settled on the 49th parallel as their border.
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