It was an attempt to reshape the political geography of North America’s Pacific coast at a moment when that geography was still genuinely contested.

The Oregon Country — the vast region that would eventually be divided between the United States and Great Britain at the 49th parallel in 1846 — was, in 1811, not firmly claimed by any European or American power.

The Lewis and Clark expedition had asserted American interest in the region.

British and Canadian fur companies had asserted their own presence through years of trade networks.

Indigenous nations, of course, had their own governance and territorial organization that predated any European claim.