Webster-Ashburton Treaty

What it is

This is a scan of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, signed on August 9, 1842. The scan shows a handwritten manuscript page in ornate copperplate script, bordered in red ink. It opens with the words 'Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland' and carries the title 'A Treaty to settle and define the Boundaries between the Possessions of Her Britannick Majesty in North America, and the Territories of the United States.' The record names Daniel Webster and Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton, as its creators.

Why it matters

The treaty resolved several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies, the region that later became the Dominion of Canada. It was negotiated and signed while John Tyler was president, so it shows a major foreign-policy agreement of his administration. Webster and Baring are the two men whose names are tied to the agreement. The document records the terms they agreed to.

Look closer

• Why does the document open in the name of Queen Victoria, and what does that suggest about who was a party to the treaty?
• What does the formal title suggest about how the two sides saw the land they were dividing?
• This is a scan of a handwritten page. What might a scan leave out, such as signatures, seals or later notes?