Webster–Ashburton Treaty monument, Ottawa

What it is

This is a 2020 photograph of a monument in Ottawa to the Webster–Ashburton Treaty, which was signed on 9 August 1842 between the United States and the British North American colonies. The image shows a tall dark stone obelisk inscribed "TREATY OF WASHINGTON" on a granite base with a bronze plaque, beside a stone retaining wall, with grass, trees, a river and a bridge behind it. The photographer was ΙΣΧΣΝΙΚΑ-888, and the photo was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.

Why it matters

The treaty settled parts of the boundary between the United States and the British colonies in North America. The plaque says that monuments were put up in 1845 along the 45th parallel, between Quebec and New York, and that the International Boundary Commission replaced the deteriorated originals with granite posts in 1902. Tyler's government concluded the treaty, so the monument connects him to a border agreement, though the monument itself was made later.

Look closer

• Why does the plaque say the monument was presented to the City of Ottawa, and what does that tell you about who held the original?
• What does the monument's inscription suggest about how the treaty was remembered?
• What might a photo of a monument leave out about the disputes the treaty was meant to settle?