Page "Aroostook War" Paragraph 10

Cornelius P. VanNess of Vermont and Thomas Barclay of Britain asked King William I of the Netherlands to arbitrate the border dispute in 1830.

William I determined to compromise between the two listed options, and drew a line very close to the eventual settlement.

The British accepted the decision of the king of the Netherlands.

The state of Maine rejected it, believing that the decision of King William violated the parameters of his authority, of choosing one contested boundary or the other, and established a potentially dangerous practice of foreign influences within the policies of the United States government.

The proposal also surrendered territory that United States citizens and residents of Maine and Massachusetts already lotted, sold, and settled.

Maine and Massachusetts still intended to continue their jurisdiction over territory held since 1800.