The task of securing recognized frontiers was complicated by the fact that, between 1777 and 1801, Portugal and Spain had annulled their previous treaties setting out the borders between their American colonial empires.
Upaya untuk memastikan batas negara dipersulit oleh fakta bahwa antara tahun 1777 hingga 1801 Portugal dan Spanyol telah membatalkan perjanjian-perjanjian yang menetapkan batas koloni mereka di Amerika.