The Oregon Territory How boundary disputes have impacted British Columbia today.

First Nation Peoples of British Columbia  In 1400’s European settlement begins in North America  However, previous to this there were numerous Aboriginal settlements with increasingly complex cultures existing in all areas of BC.  In the following map, look to see the various colours, which indicate different cultural groups

First Nations Map

 There were over 30 different cultural groups with their own distinct languages and customs.  The area had many resources that made the basic needs easy to meet.  Lots of fish, animals, and longer growing season  This allowed for free time to develop more complex societies to develop  More advanced culture (arts, politics, techniques)

Background  BC Prior to Confederation  The geography of this area is the Cordillera region (mountainous with deep ravines & valleys)  Fur trade was the focus at this time  Lack of infrastructure or established transportation routes

As we talked about last class  Remember from the class before the break, what are some of the main reasons why BC was considered valuable?  Take a minute to discuss with a partner

B. Boundaries you should be aware of:  The 49 th parallel  The line dividing the USA & (then) British territory, but ONLY TO THE ROCKIES  Established in 1819  The Oregon Territory  The area between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean  Sparsely occupied by both British & American (this sets the stage for territorial conflicts between the 2)

II. Different Plans for the Territory  The USA & the Oregon Territory  Wanted the territory for their expanding population  They had already bought the territory west of Mississippi from France  Manifest Destiny –the belief that it was the US’s fate to control all of North America  Encouraged all people from the eastern states to move to the area of the Oregon Territory  Most moved to the area south of the Columbia River

US Territorial Expansion

Russians  Had some interest in the area due to fur trade  However their expansion was limited

ENGLAND - HBC B. The Hudson’s Bay Company in the Oregon Territory  Review:  Remember that the HBC is a company that originated from Britain  Did not encourage settlement in the region  Wanted to leave area open for the fur trade trading posts are not the same as settlements

2. Fort Vancouver is established on the Oregon Territory by HBC manager George Simpson. a. Fort Vancouver was not located where present day Vancouver, BC is now b. Rationale: wanted to make best use of the resources in the region c. Became the main trading post in the Oregon Territory

3. John McLoughlin oversaw Fort Vancouver Post a. Limited American competition with the HBC b. Encouraged Americans to settle below the Columbia river i. Resulted in more American settlements south of the Columbia River and more HBC presence North of the river

4. The HBC & the Russians a. By 1839, both had agreed that the Russians would not operate south of 54 o 40’ N latitude b. In return for not moving more south, the HBC continued to supply Russians with food

4. George Simpson closed all posts along the coast in 1841 because he felt they were not prosperous enough 5. McLoughlin was angered because he thought that closing these posts would weaken HBC (British) power in the region

III. An Official Boundary  Increases in population/settlement from Americans in Oregon Territory resulted in a need for an official boundary  Americans wanted to be expanding as fast as possible, which put tremendous pressure of Britain and Canada trying to lay a significant claim on the land

D. 54” 40” or Fight! 1. US presidential election slogan of James Polk 2. He wanted to obtain the Oregon territory up to the boundary of 54” 40 latitude However, realistically he did not want to start a war with Britain over the land (especially due to the possibility of war with Mexico over the annexation of Texas). Britain finally agreed to to give all land south of the 49 parallel to the US. However, Vancouver Island would remain in British control.

Fort Vancouver – Now Vancouver, Washington

Expansion  All this expansion by the U.S. meant that Britain had to have a more official presence in that area  Gave more power to HBC to try to encourage British settlement  Establishment of Crown colony of Fort Victoria  James Douglas wanted to give free land to colonists to encourage settlement. While the British government wanted land to be sold. Creating a class system.  Douglas ended up negotiating first west Canadian land claims with Aboriginals in order to try start taking legal control of the land.

Assignment Finish the worksheet. We will have an Entrance Slip to do next class.