Canada/US Border 1800s?

What was the Border like between the colonies and the US like in the Early 1800s? Was there one? How could people cross? Directly from Maine into New Brunswick? Or was it by way of ship from New York to Halifax?
 
What was the Border like between the colonies and the US like in the Early 1800s? Was there one? How could people cross? Directly from Maine into New Brunswick? Or was it by way of ship from New York to Halifax?

I don't think the 49th parallel was really settled on until the "Pig War" in 1846, so there may not have been much of a tangible border between Britain and America at all, outside the Canadas for a while.
 
The 49th Parallel was established east of the Rockies in 1818, and extended to the Pacific under Polk.

EDIT: Though the OP seems to be wondering more about the Northeast.
 
I don't think the 49th parallel was really settled on until the "Pig War" in 1846, so there may not have been much of a tangible border between Britain and America at all, outside the Canadas for a while.

yeah the 49th was much more open. But the more settled regions are my issue. Wondering how it would be getting from the US to say Montreal or Fredricton.
 
yeah the 49th was much more open. But the more settled regions are my issue. Wondering how it would be getting from the US to say Montreal or Fredricton.

very easily. You had US citizens settling in the eastern townships of Lower canada in the early 19th century who never realised they had crossed the border until the authorities came knocking.
 
very easily. You had US citizens settling in the eastern townships of Lower canada in the early 19th century who never realised they had crossed the border until the authorities came knocking.

the one book I have on the war of 1812 notes that the border was pretty much irrelevant before the war... Americans and Canadians freely crossed it at will, settling where they pleased. So when the war came, there were Americans fighting on the British side (because the US invasion threatened their friends and neighbors), and vice verse. After the war, of course, the border became a lot more important. Which makes you wonder just how things might have gone if there hadn't been a War of 1812...
 
the one book I have on the war of 1812 notes that the border was pretty much irrelevant before the war... Americans and Canadians freely crossed it at will, settling where they pleased. So when the war came, there were Americans fighting on the British side (because the US invasion threatened their friends and neighbors), and vice verse. After the war, of course, the border became a lot more important. Which makes you wonder just how things might have gone if there hadn't been a War of 1812...


The impression I always got was, if there had never been a war of 1812, incipient Canadian nationalism would have taken longer to take off, or might never have.

If America isn't seen as a threat to the Canadian colonies, they might not even join in confederation.

A possibility in such a scenario is some of the British North American colonies joining America peacefully, especially since there would be even more Americans running around in Canada than there was OTL. A more fluid border scenario could easily see a more fluid conception of the difference between an American and a Canadian.

It should be noted of course that America could still make itself seem threatening (comments like "lets go conquer Canada" don't engender good feelings) and of course there was also the Empire loyalists in Canada to contend with (their whole identity became tied up in leaving the States to stay in the British empire).

If one really wanted to go the peacefully anexation route, it would probably happen in the very late 19th century/early 20th century.
 
I am aware that Canada seemed the safest destination for escaped slaves How clear would the line have been?

Very clear as the most direct route from the south to freedom in Upper Canada is defined by L. Ontario - the Niagara R. - L. Erie - the Detroit R. - L. St. Claire - the St. Claire R. - L. Huron - the St. Mary's R. - L. Superior.
 
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