Oregon+Territory+-+Jessica



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=Background Info=       Oregon Country, Oregon Territory, and the current Oregon state are three very different pieces of land. The Oregon Territory, formed in 1846, included present-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. Before 1848, this land was even bigger, extending north into present-day Alaska. There was an issue, however. Both the United States and Great Britain claimed “Oregon Country,” ever since they signed the Treaty of 1818 (to share Oregon). Ever since this treaty, there had been a number of disputes over the Oregon Country. As a result, Great Britain and the United States signed the Oregon Treaty in 1846. This treaty set the border at the 49th parallel between the United States and Britain. 

(The pictures above show the gradual development of the state of Oregon: 1833, 1860, and 1868)

 =Oregon Trail - fun facts=
 * one out of ten people died on this journey
 * many walked the whole 2000 miles barefoot
 * native tribes were actually helpful
 * causes of death (in order): diseases, Indian attacks, freezing to death, drowning in river crossings, and accidental gunshots
 * over 25 years, more than half a million people traveled west on the trail
 * 60-80% of the people were farmers, and women rarely went without their families
 * The majority of the wagons were pulled by oxen, some by mules.
 * Almost no horses were used initially on the Oregon Trail
 * The people to first initiate the Oregon Trail were explorers, trappers, and fur traders

Typical diary from someone traveling on the Oregon Trail:  Diary of Mrs. Amelia Stewart Knight (1853) Starting from Monroe County, Iowa, Saturday, April 9, 1853, and Ending Near Millwaukie, Oregon Territory, September 17, 1853. Saturday, April 9th, 1853 -- STARTED FROM HOME about 11 o’clock and traveled 8 miles and camped in an old house; night cold and frosty. Sunday, April 10th -- Cool and pleasant, road hard and dusty. Evening Came 18 miles and camped close in to the Fulkerson’s house. Monday, April 11th -- Morn. Cloudy and signs of rain, about 10 o’clock it began to rain. Atnoon it rains so hard we turn out and camp in a school house after traveling 11 miles; rains all the afternoon and all night, very unpleasant. Jefferson and Lucy have the mumps. Poor cattlebawled all night. Tuesday, April 12th -- Warm and sultry. Still cloudy, road very muddy. Traveled 10 miles andcamp on Soap creek bottom. Creek bank full; have to wait till it falls. Wednesday, April 13th -- Fair weather. Have to overhaul all wagons and dry things. Evening.Still in camp. Thursday, April 14th -- Quite cold. Little ewes crying with cold feet. Sixteen wagons all gettingready to cross the creek. Hurrah and bustle to get breakfast over. Feed the cattle. Hurrah boys,all ready, we will be the first to cross the creek this morning. Gee up Tip and Tyler, and away wego, the sun just rising. Evening -- We have traveled 24 miles today and are about to camp in alarge prairie without wood. Cold and chilly; east wind. The men have pitched the tent and arehunting something to make a fire to get supper. I have the sick headache and must leave to boysto get it themselves the best they can. Friday, April 15th -- Cold and cloudy, wind still east. Bad luck last night. Three of our horses got away. Suppose they have gone back. One of the boys has gone back after them, and we aregoing on slowly. Evening - Henry has come back with the horses all right again. Came 17 milestoday. Roads very bad and muddy. Cold and clouds all day. It is beginning to rain; the boys have pitched the tent and I must get supper. Saturday, April 16th -- Camped last night three miles east of Chariton Point on the prairie. Madeour beds down in the tent in the wet and mud. Bed clothes nearly spoiled. Cold and cloudy this morning, and every body out of humour. Seneca is half sick. Plutarch has broke his saddle girth.Husband is scolding and hurrying all hands (and the cook), and Almira says she wished she washome and I say ditto. “Home Sweet Home.” Evening - We passed a small town this morningcalled Chariton Point. The sun shone a little this afternoon. Came 24 miles today, and have pitched our tent in the prairie again, and have some hay to put under our beds. Corn one dollarper bushel, feed for our stock cost 16 dol. to night.   

(Taken from http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/00.ar.knight.html) .

 =  Did Ruling Governments of the Territories Approve of the Deals? = =  =   <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> The two nations involved in the treaty were the United States and Great Britain. In the beginning, the US president, James K. Polk, wanted to extend that border, so that the United States would have more land. However, he compromised at the end, and ended up getting much less than he wanted. The leaders of some tribes welcomed the white settlers, and approved of their intrusion. These Indians believed that they could prosper from trade with the settlers, and they did. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.

=Why?=





=Impact on Inhabitants=



In Oregon, some Native Americans were very angry at the settlers. As with most cases of territorial expansion, they were bothered by the fact that the white settlers took their land. However, in the case of Oregon, most Indians welcomed these white settlers. This was because they noticed that the tribes that traded with the whites were richer and more powerful than those that didn’t. The Indians often guided the settlers through mountains, and occasionally traded tribal lands for gunpowder, food, or clothes. But following these goods were diseases.

The white settlers brought diseases that they were immune to, that the Indians had never been in contact with. At times, whole tribes were wiped out by plagues. <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: black; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">

=Effect on US= <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Rather than death my murder, settlers were more affected by diseases from the Oregon Trail. Cholera was an especially dangerous disease for those on the journey, and was the cause of numerous deaths. There was a significant population change between 1843 - 1859. This was because so many settlers were attracted to moving West - not only towards Oregon, but also towards California. However, with the increase of settlers, followed the decrease of Indians. Most of the time, the settlers weren't affiliated with the Indians in a negative way. Rather, Indian tribes died because of the new diseases that the white settlers - European and American - carried. <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: black; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> The two nations involved in the Oregon Treaty were the United States and Great Britain. In the beginning, the US president, James K. Polk, wanted to extend that border, so that the United States would have more land. However, he compromised at the end, and ended up getting much less than he wanted. The leaders of some tribes welcomed the white settlers, and approved of their intrusion. These Indians believed that they could prosper from trade with the settlers. <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: black; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Politically, the US created a system in the Congress, called a biennial legislature. This was also called the Oregon Territorial Legislature. In the past, Oregon had what was called the Provisional Government of Oregon. This new governing body had two chambers: the House of Representatives, and the Council.

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= <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Consequences/Results = . Pig War Biennial legislature in 1860 <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">
 * What: bloodless war; sole casualty: pig
 * Cause: the San Juan Islands lie along the 49th parallel
 * geography was not completely accurate; this ambiguity caused both the United States and Great Britain to claim sovereignty on the San Juan Islands.

= <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Positive vs. Negative = <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 굴림;"> Overall, this expansion had a positive effect on both the US and the Native Americas - on the most part. The US benefited because they earned land, fur, and Indian survival skills. The Indians in return, became wealthy for trading with the white settlers. As the 33rd state, Oregon's addition was very important to the creation of present-day North America. <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">

=Works Cited= Historic Viewers. "Oregon Boundaries." 2008. Web. 24 Aug. 2009. <http://www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historicviewer/OregonBoundary/index.cfm>. http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/00.ar.knight.html http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Oregon_Country http://www.slideshare.net/cphippen2/the-oregon-trail

(URLs of all pictures are either hyperlinked, or placed in the caption) = =