Claim: In regard to the disputed border in the Aroostook War (sometimes called the Pork and Beans War), Massachusetts also retained an interest in the matter, as it retained ownership of half the public lands in Maine, including a large part of the disputed territory, and securing the northern half of Maine would cut travel time between Quebec City and Halifax almost in half.
Evidence: The Aroostook War (sometimes called the Pork and Beans War) was a military and civilian-involved confrontation in 1838–1839 between the United States and the United Kingdom over the international boundary between the British colony of New Brunswick and the U.S. state of Maine. Massachusetts also retained an interest in the matter, as it retained ownership of half the public lands in Maine, including a large part of the disputed territory, as part of the separation. Securing the northern half of Maine would cut travel time between Quebec City and Halifax almost in half, as it lay directly between them.