The Oregon Bill of 1848, officially titled when approved, "An Act to Establish the Territorial Government of Oregon," was an act of Congress to turn Oregon into an official

U.S. Territory In the United States, a territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters (around islands or continental tracts). The United States asserts sovereign rights for ...

. The bill was passed on August 14, 1848. It was enacted by the

30th United States Congress The 30th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1847 ...

, and signed by President

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

. The bill came into question several years after the Oregon Treaty. For two years following that treaty, the United States paid little attention to it until news of the

Whitman massacre The Whitman massacre (also known as the Walla Walla massacre and referred to as the Tragedy at Waiilatpu by the National Park Service) was the killing of the Washington missionaries Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa, along with eleven others ...

reached Congress. This provided the impetus to formally establish the

Territorial Government of Oregon The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Orego ...

. The Act created a territory that encompassed present-day Idaho, Oregon, and Washington; as well as parts of Montana and Wyoming. The original version of the bill, with an amendment to prohibit slavery, was approved by the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

by a vote of 140-59 on February 3, 1845.Evans, Elwood. ''History of the Pacific Northwest: Oregon and Washington''. Volume 1. North Pacific History Company, 1889, pp. 157-8

References

External link

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“Act to establish the territorial government of Oregon”
(1848), State Library of Oregon History of Oregon 1848 in Oregon Territory 30th United States Congress {{Oregon-stub