Presidential Proclamation ratifying the Oregon Treaty

What it is

This is a proclamation issued by President James K. Polk at Washington on 19 June 1846. It accepts, ratifies and confirms the Oregon Treaty between the United States and Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom, which had been signed on 15 June and approved by the Senate. The text ends with the line 'By the President James Buchanan Secretary of State', so Buchanan countersigned it in his role as Secretary of State. The text is available on Wikisource and is in the public domain.

Why it matters

The treaty settled the boundary between the United States and British territory in the Oregon region of the Pacific Northwest. The proclamation shows the formal steps needed to bring a treaty into force: negotiators signed it, the Senate gave its advice and consent, and the President ratified it. Buchanan was then the Secretary of State, the official who handled such documents for the President. The paper shows how the government of the time worked and who held which job in it.

Look closer

• Who signed the document, and in what role? Why does the Secretary of State's name appear at the end?
• Which steps in the text show that more than one branch of government had to approve the treaty?
• What does the proclamation leave out about the people who lived in the Oregon region?