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First page of the Annexation Bill of 1866

The Annexation Bill of 1866 was a bill introduced on July 2, 1866, but never passed in the United States House of Representatives. It called for the annexation of British North America and the admission of its provinces as states and territories in the Union. The bill was sent to committee but never came back, was never voted upon, and did not become law. The bill never came to the United States Senate.

The bill authorized the President of the United States to, subject to the agreement of the governments of the British provinces, "publish by proclamation that, from the date thereof, the States of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Canada East, and Canada West, and the Territories of Selkirk, Saskatchewan, and Columbia, with limits and rights as by the act defined, are constituted and admitted as States and Territories of the United States of America." It provided for the admission of all the colonies and the purchase of the Hudson's Bay Company's lands for $10,000,000. The American government would assume public lands and state-owned bonds and the right to levy taxes and, in return, would take over provincial debts to the total of $85,700,000 and give an annual subsidy of $1,646,000 to the new states. In addition, the United States would connect Canada with the Maritimes by rail and spend $50,000,000 to complete and improve the colonial canal system.

The bill was introduced by Congressman Nathaniel Prentice Banks, a representative from Massachusetts. It was intended to appeal to Irish Americans who supported the Fenian Movement and were aggressively hostile to Britain. Indeed, much of American public opinion at the time was hostile because of Britain's perceived support for the Confederacy during the American Civil War, such as British blockade runners carrying arms supplies, the construction of CSS Alabama in a British shipyard, and tolerance of Confederate Secret Service activities in the UK and its Canadian and Bahamian colonies. There was no serious effort in Washington to annex Canada.

Proposed states and territories

If successful, the Annexation Bill would have created four states and three territories from what is today Canada, listed below. Additionally, most of the Arctic Archipelago and parts of the Canadian mainland would have become unorganized territory.

New Brunswick. Modern-day New Brunswick
Nova Scotia. Modern-day Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
Canada East. Modern-day Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and part of modern-day northern Ontario
Canada West. Modern-day southern Ontario, and part of modern-day northern Ontario.
Selkirk Territory. Modern-day Manitoba, and parts of modern-day northwestern Ontario, Nunavut, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories
Saskatchewan Territory. Modern-day Alberta, and parts of modern-day Saskatchewan, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and Yukon.
Columbia Territory. The part of modern-day British Columbia and Yukon west of the Rocky Mountains.

Notes

References

Fred H. Harrington. Fighting Politician: Major General N. P. Banks (Philadelphia, 1948), pp 178–79.
Donald Frederic Warner; The Idea of Continental Union: Agitation for the Annexation of Canada to the United States, 1849-1893 University of Kentucky Press. 1960.

External links

Actual text, from United States Library of Congress
Text of the bill, from Collections Canada
Annexation Bill of 1866.

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+{{Short description|Proposed complete annexation of British North America}}
-The '''Annexation Bill of 1866''' was a bill introduced on [[July 2]], [[1866]], but never passed in the [[United States House of Representatives]].  It called for the annexation of [[British North America]] and the admission of its provinces as states and territories in the Union.  The bill was sent to committee but never came back, was never voted upon, and did not become law.  The bill never came to the [[United States Senate]].
+[[File:AnnexationBill1866.gif|thumb|right|First page of the Annexation Bill of 1866]]
+The '''Annexation Bill of 1866''' was a bill introduced on July 2, 1866, but never passed in the [[United States House of Representatives]].  It called for the [[annexation]] of [[British North America]] and the admission of its provinces as states and territories in the Union.  The bill was sent to committee but never came back, was never voted upon, and did not become law.  The bill never came to the [[United States Senate]].
-The bill authorized the [[President of the United States]] to, subject to the agreement of the governments of the British provinces, "publish by proclamation that, from the date thereof, the States of [[Nova Scotia]], [[New Brunswick]], [[Canada East]], and [[Canada West]], and the Territories of Selkirk (present-day [[Manitoba]]), [[Saskatchewan]], and Columbia, with limits and rights as by the act defined, are constituted and admitted as States and Territories of the United States of America."  It provided for the admission of all the colonies and the purchase of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]]'s lands for $10,000,000. The American government would assume public lands and state-owned bonds and the right to levy taxes and, in return, would take over provincial debts to the total of $85,700,000 and give an annual subsidy of $1,646,000 to the new states. In addition, the United States would connect Canada with the Maritimes by rail and spend $50,000,000 to complete and improve the colonial canal system.
+The bill authorized the [[President of the United States]] to, subject to the agreement of the governments of the British provinces, "publish by proclamation that, from the date thereof, the States of [[Nova Scotia]], [[New Brunswick]], [[Canada East]], and [[Canada West]], and the Territories of Selkirk, [[Saskatchewan]], and Columbia, with limits and rights as by the act defined, are constituted and admitted as States and Territories of the United States of America."  It provided for the admission of all the colonies and the purchase of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]]'s lands for $10,000,000. The American government would assume public lands and state-owned bonds and the right to levy taxes and, in return, would take over provincial debts to the total of $85,700,000 and give an annual subsidy of $1,646,000 to the new states. In addition, the United States would connect Canada with the Maritimes by rail and spend $50,000,000 to complete and improve the colonial canal system.
-The bill was introduced by Congressman [[Nathaniel Prentiss Banks]], a representative from [[Massachusetts]].  It was intended to appeal to [[Irish Americans]] who supported the [[Fenian]] Movement and were aggressively hostile to Britain. Indeed, much of American public opinion at the time was hostile because of Britain's support for the Confederacy during the [[American Civil War]].  There was no serious effort in Washington to annex Canada.
+The bill was introduced by Congressman [[Nathaniel Prentice Banks]], a representative from [[Massachusetts]]. It was intended to appeal to [[Irish Americans]] who supported the [[Fenian]] Movement and were aggressively hostile to Britain. Indeed, much of American public opinion at the time was hostile because of [[United Kingdom and the American Civil War|Britain's perceived support]] for the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] during the [[American Civil War]], such as [[Blockade runners of the American Civil War|British blockade runners carrying arms supplies]], the construction of [[CSS Alabama|CSS ''Alabama'']] in a British shipyard, and tolerance of [[Confederate Secret Service]] activities in the UK and [[Canada and the American Civil War|its Canadian]] and [[Bahamas and the American Civil War|Bahamian colonies]]. There was no serious effort in Washington to annex Canada.
+==Proposed states and territories==
-Its introduction and similar interest in annexation by the United States possibly provided a little incentive for the organization of Canada as an entity distinct from Britain; indeed, the bill's introduction preceded [[Canadian Confederation]] by less than a year. However the [[Fenian raids]] had much more influence in shaping determination to hurry the Confederation process.
+If successful, the Annexation Bill would have created four states and three territories from what is today Canada, listed below. Additionally, most of the [[Arctic Archipelago]] and parts of the Canadian mainland would have become [[unorganized area|unorganized territory]].
-==References==
-* Fred H. Harrington. ''Fighting Politician: Major General N. P. Banks'' (Philadelphia, 1948), pp 178-79.
+* New Brunswick. Modern-day [[New Brunswick]]
-* Donald Frederic Warner; ''The Idea of Continental Union: Agitation for the Annexation of Canada to the United States, 1849-1893'' University of Kentucky Press. 1960.
+* Nova Scotia. Modern-day [[Nova Scotia]] and [[Prince Edward Island]]
+* Canada East. Modern-day [[Quebec]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador]], and part of modern-day [[northern Ontario]]
+* Canada West. Modern-day [[southern Ontario]], and part of modern-day northern Ontario.
+* Selkirk Territory. Modern-day [[Manitoba]], and parts of modern-day [[northwestern Ontario]], [[Nunavut]], [[Saskatchewan]] and the [[Northwest Territories]]
+* Saskatchewan Territory. Modern-day [[Alberta]], and parts of modern-day Saskatchewan, [[British Columbia]], the Northwest Territories and [[Yukon]].
+* Columbia Territory. The part of modern-day British Columbia and Yukon west of the [[Rocky Mountains]].
 == See also ==
-*[[Annexationist movements of Canada]]
 *[[Continentalism]]
 *[[Expansionism]]
-*[[Fenian Raids]]
+*[[Fenian raids]]
+*[[Hunters' Lodges]]
-*[[Frères chasseurs|Hunter Patriots]]
-*[[Manifest Destiny]]
+*[[Manifest destiny]]
+*[[Movements for the annexation of Canada to the United States]]
 *[[Oregon boundary dispute]]
+*[[War of 1812]]
+*[[War Plan Red]]
+==Notes==
+{{no footnotes|date=April 2016 }}
+{{reflist}}
+==References==
+* Fred H. Harrington. ''Fighting Politician: Major General N. P. Banks'' (Philadelphia, 1948), pp 178–79.
+* Donald Frederic Warner; ''The Idea of Continental Union: Agitation for the Annexation of Canada to the United States, 1849-1893'' University of Kentucky Press. 1960.
 ==External links==
 *[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llhb&fileName=039/llhb039.db&recNum=4308 Actual text], from United States Library of Congress
-*[http://www.collectionscanada.ca/confederation/023001-246-e.html Text of the bill], from Collections Canada
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060213074652/http://www.collectionscanada.ca/confederation/023001-246-e.html Text of the bill], from Collections Canada
+*{{ws|[[s:Annexation Bill of 1866|Annexation Bill of 1866]]}}
-[[Category:1866 in law]]
+[[Category:1866 in American law]]
-[[Category:Canadian-American relations]]
+[[Category:Canada–United States relations]]
 [[Category:Political history of Canada]]
 [[Category:United States proposed federal legislation]]
+[[Category:Proposed states and territories of the United States]]
+[[Category:1866 in international relations]]
+[[Category:Annexation]]