Settling Disputes with Great Britain
The Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812, yet there were issues left
unresolved. The United States and British Canada both wanted to keep
their navies and fishing rights on the Great Lakes. In the spring of
1817, the two sides compromised by establishing the Rush-Bagot
Agreement, which limited naval power on the Great Lakes for both the
United States and British Canada.
Another treaty with Britain gave the United States fishing rights off
parts of the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts. This treaty, known as
the Convention of 1818, also set the border between the United States
and Canada at 49°N latitude as far west as the Rocky Mountains.
Interest in the valuable fur trade in the Oregon Country was another
issue resolved by this treaty. Both countries agreed to occupy the
Pacific Northwest together, an agreement that would be tested in the
years to come.
United States Gains Florida
The United States also had a dispute over its southern border with
Spanish Florida. In 1818 Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, son of
John and Abigail Adams, held talks with Spanish diplomat Luis de Ons
about letting Americans settle in Florida. Meanwhile, President James
Monroe, elected in 1816, had sent U.S. troops to secure the U.S.–
Florida border. General Andrew Jackson led these soldiers.
At the same time, conflicts arose between the United States and the
Seminole Indians of Florida. The Seminole often helped runaway slaves
and sometimes raided U.S. settlements. In April 1818 Jackson’s troops
invaded Florida to capture Seminole raiders. This act began the First
Seminole War. During the war Jackson took over most of Spain’s
important military posts. Then he overthrew the governor of Florida.
He carried out these acts against Spain without receiving direct orders
from President Monroe. Jackson’s actions upset Spanish leaders. Most
Americans, however, supported Jackson.
Jackson’s presence in Florida convinced Spanish leaders to
negotiate. In 1819 the two countries signed the Adams-Ons Treaty,
which settled all border disputes between Spain and the United States.
Under this treaty, Spain gave East Florida to the United States.
