What did the Rush-Bagot Agreement between the United States and British Canada accomplish?

The Rush-Bagot Agreement, which was signed in 1817, was a significant diplomatic accord between the United States and British Canada (at that time, Canada was a group of British colonies). Its main accomplishment was to greatly reduce the naval armaments present on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, following the War of 1812. This was done in the interest of peace and good relations between the United States and British North America.

The agreement stipulated that the U.S. and British Canada could each maintain one military vessel on Lake Ontario and Lake Champlain, with limited armament. On the Upper Lakes, they could each maintain two small ships with small caliber guns. The treaty effectively demilitarized the U.S.-Canadian border, becoming one of the first disarmament treaties in history and laying the foundation for a long-lasting peaceful border between the two nations.

This agreement was not originally a formal treaty, but rather an exchange of diplomatic notes between Acting United States Secretary of State Richard Rush and the British Minister to the United States, Sir Charles Bagot. It was later codified into a formal treaty and extended indefinitely