The title references the expansion of the United States that President James K. Polk called for. The expansion was to include Texas, California, and the Oregon territory. Since the northern boundary of Oregon was the latitude line of 54 degrees, 40 minutes, “fifty-four forty or fight!” became a popular slogan.
Why was it called Fifty-Four Forty or Fight?
He used the famous campaign slogan “Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!”—named after the line of latitude serving as the territory’s northern boundary . Polk’s plan was to claim the entire region and go to war over it with the British. ... Polk declared that the joint occupation with the British would end in one year.
Who came up with the saying fifty-four forty or fight?
“Fifty-four Forty or Fight!”
Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations attributes the slogan to William Allen. 54°40′ was the southern boundary of Russian America and considered the northernmost limit of the Pacific Northwest.
What does the 54-40 or fight slogan mean?
Polk’s primary campaign issue was to expand the United States to include Texas and the Pacific Northwest. Polk’s battle cry was “Fifty-four forty or fight,” which meant the United States would accept nothing less from the British than all of the Oregon Country, as far north as the border of Alaska.
Why does American history remember the slogan 54-40 or fight?
This movement of people believed that the United States had the right to all of the Oregon territory up to and including the 54th parallel . This public outcry yielded the slogan wars. ... ‘ Remember, ’54’ was synonymous with the 54th parallel, the only boundary line expansionists were willing to accept.
What is the 54 40 line of latitude?
The northern boundary of Oregon was the latitude line of 54 degrees, 40 minutes. “Fifty-four forty or fight!” was the popular slogan that led Polk to victory against all odds. Oregon City, along the banks of the Willamette River, the final stop along the Oregon Trail as it appeared in 1848.
Who did the United States negotiate with for the Oregon territory?
The United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Oregon on June 15, 1846, ending 28 years of joint occupancy of the Pacific Northwest. The treaty established the 49 th parallel as the border between the two countries.
What did fifty-four Forty or Fight mean quizlet?
“Fifty-four forty or fight!” A campaign slogan, used in the election of 1844, that refers to the latitude 54-40, the northern limit of the disputed Oregon territory between America and the British . ... He urged it as a solution to the question of slavery in the territories.
Who won the election of 1844?
On November 5, 1844, Democratic candidate James K. Polk defeated Whig Party candidate Henry Clay to become the eleventh president of the United States. The American Presidency Project Web site presents election results from the 1844 presidential election.
Why did US want Oregon territory?
The Western Frontier was the last great place to be settled by the U.S., and U.S. Citizens wanted that land to be theirs. The land was optimal for farming and had plenty of space to spread out from the over populated cities. U.S. Congressional Map on states that had formed from the Oregon Treaty.
What was 54 40 or fight quizlet?
“Fifty-four forty or fight: An aggressive slogan adopted in the Oregon boundary dispute, a dispute over where the border between Canada and Oregon should be drawn . This was also Polk’s slogan- the Democrats’ wanted the U.S. border drawn at the 54’40” latitude. Polk settled for the 49 latitude in 1846.
What becomes the border between the US and British Canada?
The treaty established the 49th parallel from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Georgia as the boundary between the United States and British Canada. ... In 1818, a U.S.-British agreement had established the border along the 49th parallel from Lake of the Woods in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west.
How did the United States obtain the sole possession of part of the Oregon Territory?
In 1846, the Oregon boundary dispute between the U.S. and Britain was settled with the signing of the Oregon Treaty . ... The British gained sole possession of the land north of the 49th parallel and all of Vancouver Island, with the United States receiving the territory south of that line.
What was the westward?
Westward expansion, the 19th-century movement of settlers into the American West , began with the Louisiana Purchase and was fueled by the Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail and a belief in “manifest destiny.”
Who opposed westward expansion?
However, others, including Grover Cleveland, Andrew Carnegie, and Mark Twain , opposed these ideas. Manifest Destiny became a disputed philosophy. The following are two examples of the different views of the American people.
What four countries originally claimed the Oregon Territory?
Originally Spain, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States claimed the territory. In 1819, under terms of the Transcontinental Treaty, Spain ceded its claims to the territory to the United States.
