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Webster–Ashburton Treaty

1842

The 1842 treaty negotiated under President Tyler that settled the Maine–New Brunswick border with Britain.

Negotiated during Tyler's presidency, this treaty was his main foreign-policy success.

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What it is

This is the Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, between U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster and British diplomat Lord Ashburton. It was negotiated and concluded during John Tyler's presidency.

Why it matters

The treaty resolved border disputes between the United States and British North America, including the Maine–New Brunswick line that had caused the Aroostook War, and set terms for suppressing the slave trade and extraditing criminals. It stands as Tyler's major foreign-policy achievement, showing his administration's effort to settle long-standing conflicts with Britain peacefully.

Look closer

  • Why might two nations choose negotiation over continued conflict after years of border disputes?
  • What does the treaty's attention to the slave trade reveal about the concerns of the time?
  • What disputes, like Machias Seal Island, did the treaty leave unresolved, and why might that be?

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