Presidential Proclamation regarding the Oregon Treaty

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Description

On August 5, 1846, President James K. Polk proclaimed the Treaty with Great Britain, in Regard to Limits Westward of the Rocky Mountains. This treaty resolved the Oregon border dispute by drawing a straight line along the 49th parallel. The line extended the existing boundary between the United States and Britain over the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

Transcript

Scholars of Mandeville [La] College

Mandeville College January 24th 1846

Dear Sir

We hope sir that you will not resign one inch of Oregon for if England possessed any part of ~~Oregon~~ it she might pour in her troops and attack the unexperienced settlers of the West. Sir it may be plainly seen the reasons why she wishes to Obtain Cuba so that her western southern and northern armies may meet in the middle and we would entirely conquered and subdued once more to chains of England. We have fifty muskets and fifty odd scholars.

We remain your respectful friends,
The scholars of Mandeville
College

NB Please direct an answer to Mandeville Parish of St Tammany La.

Citation

This primary source comes from the Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State.

National Archives Identifier: 594196

Full Citation: Presidential Proclamation regarding the Oregon Treaty; 8/5/1846; Notes from the Department of State Volume IX Mr. McLane 1945-1946; United States Diplomatic Records for Great Britain, 1826–1940; Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State, Record Group 84; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/presidential-proclamation-regarding-the-oregon-treaty/, March 10, 2026]

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