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Article: Drawing the line: the 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the war between Britain and the U.S. But it didn't end boundary disputes. For the next sixty years, the British and the Americans clashed over an imaginary line separating colony from country. Then Lord Ashburton met Daniel Webster, and most of what would become the world's longest undefended border fell into place.
- Article from:
- The Beaver: Exploring Canada's History
- Article date:
- August 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Canada's National History Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"Ashburton's capitulation" was how former foreign secretary Lord Palmerston described the treaty negotiated by Lord Ashburton, which in 1842 established the boundary between British North America and the United States along the eastern half of the continent. Surprisingly, many Americans were not happy with the treaty either. Perhaps this was only to be expected. After all, boundary disagreements had emerged almost as soon as the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American War of Independence, was signed in 1783--and subsequent attempts to settle the boundary foundered time after time. Nevertheless, despite all of the complaints and protests by critics on both sides, the ...