Territorial Expansion: Oregon
The Oregon Territory was originally
claimed by Russia, Spain, Great
Britain and the United States. By
1840, only the U.S. and Great
Britain remained.
Lewis & Clark also gave the U.S.
claim to Oregon because they
explored the area in 1805.
U.S. Claims to the Oregon Territory:
U.S. claims were based in part on the
explorations of Captain Robert Gray
who explored the Columbia River in
1792.
Dr. Marcus Whitman, a medical
missionary was among the first settlers
of Oregon Country. Marcus Whitman was
very impressed with the wonderful
farmland and many rivers of the area, and
wrote to people back east about it.
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This led many settlers to the region.
Another American, John Jacob Astor,
opened a fur-trading post on the Oregon
coast which he called Astoria.
The British claimed the area because
they had sent explorers in the 1500’s,
1600’s and 1700’s, and also had fur
trading posts there.
The Oregon Trail:
In 1818, Britain and the United
States worked out an agreement
for joint occupation. People from
both the United States and Great
Britain could settle there.
In 1843, the large scale migration
began as 120 wagons left
Independence, Missouri for
Oregon. The 2000 mile journey
usually took 5-6 months. In the
following years, tens of thousands
would follow.
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The wagons were called Conestoga
wagons or “prairie schooners”
because their canvas tops
resembled the sails of ships.
They followed the Oregon Trail
across the Great Plains, along the
Platte River, and through the South
Pass of the Rocky Mountains. The
trail then went north and west
along the Snake and Columbia
Rivers into Oregon Country.
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Chimney Rock
Independence Rock
Settlers had to endure hardships
such as Native Americans, bad
weather, high mountains, hot
deserts, flooded rivers, snow, and
sometimes thirst and starvation.
Manifest Destiny:
In 1844 the U.S. decided it wanted
all of the Oregon Territory. Many
Americans wanted control of the
Oregon Country to gain access to
the Pacific Ocean.
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James K. Polk was a candidate for
president in 1844. His campaign
centered around the idea of
manifest destiny, This was the
belief that the United States was
to extend to its natural
boundaries - the Pacific Ocean.
It was fate that led the nation all
the way to the Pacific, and it didn’t
matter how the land was obtained.
The Division of Oregon :
Polk’s campaign slogan was “Fiftyfour forty or fight!” The number
referred to the northern most line
of latitude in the Oregon Territory.
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The U.S. did not really want to fight
Britain over the land because the U.S.
knew that a war with Mexico was very
near, In 1846 the U.S. and Great Britain
were able to reach a compromise and
Oregon was divided at the 49th parallel.
Importance:
The northern half went to Britain
and the southern half to the U.S.
The northern half became part of
Canada.
Parts of four states (Washington.
Oregon, Idaho and Montana) were carved
out of the Oregon Territory. The United
States now extended to the Pacific
Ocean. There was fertile land available
for settlement.
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