The Convention respecting fisheries, boundary and the restoration of slaves, also known as the London Convention, Anglo-American Convention of 1818, Convention of 1818, or simply the Treaty of 1818, is an international treaty signed in 1818 between the United States and the United Kingdom. This treaty resolved standing boundary issues between the two nations. The treaty allowed for joint occupation and settlement of the Oregon Country, known to the British and in Canadian history as the Columbia District of the Hudson's Bay Company, and including the southern portion of its sister district New Caledonia.
The two nations agreed to a boundary line involving the 49th parallel north, in part because a straight-line boundary would be easier to survey than the pre-existing boundaries based on watersheds. The treaty marked both the United Kingdom's last permanent major loss of territory in what is now the Continental United States and the United States' first permanent significant cession of North American territory to a foreign power, the second being the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842. The British ceded all of Rupert's Land south of the 49th parallel and east of the Continental Divide, including all of the Red River Colony south of that latitude, while the United States ceded the northernmost edge of the Missouri Territory north of the 49th parallel.
1818Oct, 20
The Convention of 1818 is signed between the United States and the United Kingdom, which settles the Canada-United States border on the 49th parallel for most of its length.
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Events on 1818
- 12Feb
Chilean Declaration of Independence
Bernardo O'Higgins formally approves the Chilean Declaration of Independence near Concepción, Chile. - 4Apr
Flag of the United States
The United States Congress adopts the flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (then 20). - 16Apr
Rush-Bagot Treaty
The United States Senate ratifies the Rush-Bagot Treaty, establishing the border with Canada. - 20Apr
Trial by battle
The case of Ashford v Thornton ends, with Abraham Thornton allowed to go free rather than face a retrial for murder, after his demand for trial by battle is upheld.