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[[Image:Rush-Bagot-treaty-marker.jpg|thumb|240px|Historical marker where the Rush-Bagot Agreement was made in Washington, D.C.]]
The '''Rush–Bagot Treaty''' or "Rush-Bagot Disarmament", was a [[treaty]] between the [[United States]] and [[United Kingdom|Britain]] limiting naval armaments on the [[Great Lakes]] and [[Lake Champlain]], following the [[War of 1812]]. It was ratified by the United States Senate on April 16, 1818.,<ref>{{cite book|last=Norton|first=Mary Beth|title=A People and a Nation|year=2001|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|location=Boston|isbn=0-618-00550-1|pages=246}}</ref> and has been confirmed by Canada, following [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]] in 1867.
The treaty provided for a large demilitarization of lakes along the international boundary, where many British naval arrangements and forts remained. The treaty stipulated that the United States and [[British North America]] could each maintain one military vessel (no more than 100 tons burden) as well as one cannon (no more than eighteen pounds) on [[Lake Ontario]] and [[Lake Champlain]]. The remaining Great Lakes permitted the United States and British North America to keep two military vessels "of like burden" on the waters armed with "like force". The treaty, and the separate [[Treaty of 1818]], laid the basis for a demilitarized [[Canada – United States border|boundary]] between the U.S. and British North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Rush-Bagot_Convention.aspx |title=Rush-Bagot Convention Facts, information, pictures &#124; Encyclopedia.com articles about Rush-Bagot Convention |publisher=Encyclopedia.com |date=2005-01-08 |accessdate=2011-05-05}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Richard Rush.jpg|thumb|160px|Plaque to Richard Rush, U.S. diplomat, at [[Old Fort Niagara]]]]
[[File:Charles Bagot.jpg|thumb|160px|Plaque to Charles Bagot, British diplomat, at Old Fort Niagara]]
The origins of the Rush–Bagot Treaty can be traced to a correspondence of letters between [[United States Secretary of State|Acting United States Secretary of State]] [[Richard Rush]] and the [[List of British Ambassadors to the United States|British Minister to Washington]] [[Charles Bagot|Sir Charles Bagot]], which were exchanged and signed on April 27 and 28, 1817. After the terms of the notes were agreed upon by Rush and Bagot, the Rush-Bagot Agreement was unofficially recognized by both countries. On April 6, 1818, it was submitted to the United States Senate and formally ratified on April 16, 1818. The treaty eventually led to the [[Treaty of Washington (1871)|Treaty of Washington]] of 1871, which completed disarmament. The United States and [[Canada]] agreed in 1946, through an exchange of diplomatic notes, that the stationing of naval vessels for training purposes was permissible provided each government was fully notified in advance. In 2004, the [[U.S. Coast Guard]] decided to arm 11 of its small [[cutter (ship)|cutters]] stationed on [[Lake Erie]] and [[Lake Huron]] with [[M240 machine gun|M240]] [[7.62 caliber|7.62 mm]] [[machine gun]]s. The American decision was based on a climbing number of [[smuggling]] operations as well as the increased threat of terrorist activity after the [[September 11, 2001, attacks]]. The Canadian government decided that the armament did not violate the treaty, as the guns were to be used for law enforcement rather than military activities. Canada reserved the right to arm its vessels ([[Canadian Coast Guard]]) with similar weapons.<ref>http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2006/03/11/local/iq_3947488.txt</ref>

==Military Installations==
[[Image:Stone Frigate.jpg|thumb|right|200px|HMCS [[Stone Frigate]], [[Royal Military College of Canada]], Kingston, Ontario]]
''The [[Stone Frigate]]'', located at the [[Royal Military College of Canada|Royal Military College]] in [[Kingston, Ontario]], was constructed during 1820 to store part of the dismantled British fleet from the [[War of 1812]], which had been dismantled pursuant to the [[Rush-Bagot Treaty]] of 1818.<ref>Gilbert Collins Guidebook to the Historic Sites of the War of 1812 p. 201</ref>

There are still military facilities near or next to the Great Lakes:

* Canadian
** [[CFB Kingston]], [[Kingston, Ontario]]
** [[Royal Military College of Canada|Royal Military College]] - [[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]], [[Ontario]]
** [[CFB Trenton]], [[Trenton, Ontario]]
** [[CFD Mountain View]] - [[Prince Edward County, Ontario]]
** {{HMCS|York}} [[Canadian Maritime Command]] Reserve base - [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]
** [[Land Force Central Area|4th Canadian Division]] HQ - [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]
** [[Denison Armoury]]/ASU Toronto - [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]] - site of former [[CFB Downsview]] airbase
** [[Canadian Forces College]] - [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]
** [[Dalton Armoury]], Toronto
** [[Oakville Armoury]], [[Oakville, Ontario]]
** [[Col J.R. Barber Armoury]], [[Georgetown, Ontario]]
** [[Moss Park Armoury]], Toronto
** [[CFB Borden]], [[Borden, Ontario]]
** [[Fort York Armoury]], Toronto
** [[Four Mile Point Live Firing Range]] - [[Niagara-on-the-Lake]], [[Ontario]]
** [[CFB London|ASU London]], [[London, Ontario]]
** [[LFCATC Meaford]], [[Meaford, Ontario]]

* American
** [[Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station]] - [[Niagara Falls, New York]]
** [[Camp Perry]] - [[Port Clinton, Ohio]]
** [[Selfridge Air National Guard Base]] - [[Harrison Township, Michigan]]
** [[Duluth Air National Guard Base]] - [[Duluth, Minnesota]]
** [[Minneapolis Armory]] - [[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]]
** [[Wisconsin Air National Guard]] - [[General Mitchell International Airport]] - [[Milwaukee]]

==Outcome==
The border between the US and British North America was demilitarized, including the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. The US and Britain agreed to joint control over the Oregon Territory. The Rush Bagot Agreement created the world's longest east&ndash;west boundary&mdash;5,527 miles. The US-Canadian border is the largest demilitarized border in the world.<ref>http://www.aandc.org/research/rush-bagot_agreement.html</ref> The treaty may have been one reason the [[Battleship Illinois (replica)|battleship Illinois]] was constructed as a replica.

==Plaques==
[[Image:Royal Military College of Canada Rush Bagot Agreement.jpg|thumb|right|220px|[[Rush-Bagot Treaty]] plaque at [[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]], [[Ontario]]]]
[[File:Rush-Bagot Terrace.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Memorial terrace to the Rush-Bagot Treaty at Old Fort Niagara]]
An Ontario Heritage Trust plaque in [[Kingston, Ontario]] recognizes the Rush-Bagot Agreement
({{coord|44.229894|N|76.466292|W|type:landmark_dim:1000|display=inline}}). A plaque also stands at the former site of the British Legation in [[Washington, D.C.]] ({{coord|38|54|13.7|N|77|3|8.4|W|region:US-DC_type:landmark_dim:1000|display=inline}}) where the agreement was negotiated. A monument stands on the grounds of [[Old Fort Niagara]] as well
({{coord|43.263347|N|79.063719|W|region:US-DC_type:landmark_dim:1000|display=inline}}), featuring reliefs of both Rush and Bagot, as well as the words of the treaty.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_5598_1.html |title=Rush-Bagot Agreement |publisher=Heritagefdn.on.ca |date= |accessdate=2011-05-05}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|Rush-Bagot Treaty}}
*http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Rush-Bagot_Convention.aspx
*[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/britain/br1817m.htm Avalon Project - Text of Agreement]
*[http://www.aandc.org/research/rush-bagot_agreement.html Rush-Bagot Agreement]
*[http://www.hnn.us/articles/61479.html Nuclear Weapons, the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain] HNN article about Rush-Bagot and its impact on the nuclear arms race
*[http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_5598_1.html Ontario Heritage Trust The Rush-Bagot Agreement, Under the terms of this 1817 arms-limitation agreement, the United States and Great Britain agreed to dismantle most of their armed vessels on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain and to construct no new warships. The agreement, technically, is still in force.]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush-Bagot Treaty}}
[[Category:1817 in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1817 in the United States]]
[[Category:Canada–United States relations]]
[[Category:1817 treaties]]
[[Category:15th United States Congress]]
[[Category:United Kingdom–United States treaties]]
[[Category:Treaties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922)]]
[[Category:Arms control treaties]]

Revision as of 18:00, 29 April 2014