British - American Relations in the 1840s essays

British - American Relations in the 1840's essays Assess British-American relations during the 1840s The 1840s were a period of American expansion and diplomacy. Throughout these years, tensions grew in Anglo-American relations. By this time, The United States had extended its power and territories in the world, and the British Empire had problems in government. Throughout the 1840s, the two countries disputed over many things, new problems as well as old disagreements. However, the resolution of these disagreements is the great achievement of this period. The issues included the resolution of commercial relations between the United States and Britain, the settlement of the Maine boundary dispute, the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, and the agreement concerning the Oregon territory. By the 1840s, commerce between America and Great Britain had improved from prior decades. But, some disputes still ensued between merchants of the two nations. One major argument was that of the Creole Affair. In the early 1840s, the British were interested in fighting the slave trade. They were against the importation of African slaves into the Americas. In 1841, on the American ship Creole, 135 enslaved Africans overpowered the crew, murdering one man, while sailing from Virginia to New Orleans. Led by Madison Washington, the slaves sailed the vessel to Nassau, Bahamas, where the British declared most of them free. Americans argued that the property of U.S. slave owners should be protected in foreign ports. Slave owners were outraged at the British who responded by arguing that once the ship was outside of U.S. territorial waters; the African Americans were entitled to their liberty. The House of Representatives then also stated that any attempt to re-enslave them would be unconstitutional. Another turning point in U.S. relations with Great Britain came with the signing on August 9, 1842, of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, which settled several matter...