Louisiana (New France)
A boundary dispute erupted between the U.S. and Spain, with the U.S. claiming the land west of the Perdido River as part of the original Louisiana (New France) colony, whereas the Spanish claimed that only the portion of Louisiana west of the Mississippi River had been returned to France. The Gulf coast south of 31 degrees latitude, between the Mississippi and Perdido rivers, remained disputed between the two nations. In 1810, the Republic of West Florida successfully declared its independence from a weakened Spain. Ninety days later, U.S. military forces entered its capital (St. Francisville, Louisiana) and effectively annexed the short-lived nation. However, this action did not extend all the way to the Perdido River.