To End The Slave Trade

The Webster - Ashburton Treaty signed August 9th 1842, settled the border between the United States and Great Britin’s holdings of Canada, along with issues about the slave trade.


The Webster - Ashburton treaty between the Bristish North American colonies of Canada and the United States was signed August 9th 1842. The treaty resolved several border disputes such as the one between Maine and New Brunswick. It reaffirmed the border along the 49th parallel in the far west, and established the Lake of the Woods border in the Minnesota territory. The treaty called for shared use by both countries of the Great Lakes. It also set up a law to end the slave trade on the high seas. The United State agreed to place ships off the African coast to stop American vessels from engaging in the trade, but stop short of agreeing to allow the British Navy to board them. The treaty was signed by British diplomat Alexander Baring the First Baron of Ashburton and United States Secretary of State Daniel Webster.

To read the treaty in full, this web site is a good one, British-American Diplomacy The Webster-Ashburton Treaty