John Quincy Adams & the 1818 Oregon Agreement: The Convention of 1818 (Not Rush–Bagot)

Correction: The 1818 agreement between the U.S. and Britain regarding the Oregon Country was the Convention of 1818 (Treaty of 1818), not the Rush–Bagot Treaty (1817), which limited naval armaments on the Great Lakes.

Convention of 1818 – Key Provisions

• Joint Occupation: Oregon Territory (west of the Rockies, north of 42°N, south of 54°40′N) open to citizens of both nations for 10 years (renewed indefinitely in 1827).
• Boundary: Set the 49th parallel as the U.S.–British North America border from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains.
• Fisheries: Affirmed U.S. fishing rights off Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Slave Compensation: Created a commission to settle claims for enslaved people freed by British forces during the War of 1812.

Significance

Negotiated by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams and British plenipotentiary Frederick Robinson (Lord Goderich), the treaty eased post-war tensions, defined the first permanent western land boundary, and deferred the Oregon sovereignty dispute—ultimately resolved by the 1846 Oregon Treaty.

The Rush–Bagot Treaty (1817) is a separate, equally important accord demilitarizing the Great Lakes.