In the early years of the American Revolution, the British government and the Continental Congress adopted different policies towards Indian tribes. While the British actively sought allies among native tribes, the Americans encouraged them to remain neutral. Describing the coming conflict as “a quarrel between us and Old England,” colonial agents advised the leaders of the Cherokee Nation and the Iroquois Confederacy to avoid taking a side. By May of 1776, Congress decided that a new approach was necessary and agents of the Committee on Indian Affairs were instructed to offer gifts, land title, and monetary recompense to any tribe that would either support the United States or take up arms against those tribes that had allied with the British.
These agreements were not treaties, but peace offerings meant to encourage potentially hostile governments to side with the colonies. If colonial agents were unable to encourage tribal leaders to join forces with the American army, then they would encourage them to fight with those tribes who had pledged their support to the British. Already out numbered and out gunned, the colonies could not afford to have hostile Indian tribes plaguing their borderlands. Fearing the devastation that would result from fighting a war on all fronts, Congress felt that if Indian tribes were fighting among themselves they would be less apt to interfere with the rebellion. One effect of this policy was to instigate intra-tribal warfare. In the years following the rebellion, the American government would adopt a new policy towards Indian nations--the treaty system.
Prelude to the Treaty System
Under the auspices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the treaty system would gradually rob Indian tribes of their sovereignty and ultimately fail to deliver on the most basic principals of the agreements. The treaty system lasted from 1785 until 1871, when the United States Congress finally abandoned the process. The underlying principal of the treaty system was that Indian tribes were foreign nations and should be dealt with as such. Agents of the federal government were empowered to negotiate with tribal leaders for native lands. Lands were purchased in exchange for trade items such a fur, cotton, wheat, and agricultural produce. In some cases, Indian tribes were offered other lands, located to west of the borders of the United States. Having its roots in the aftermath of the French and Indian War, the treaty system resulted in the gradual ebbing away of native sovereignty.
Why Make Treaties: America’s Expansionist Aims
In the years following the American Revolution, the United States government turned an expansionist eye upon the fertile lands held by Indian tribes. The failure of the individual states to curtail settlement in regions controlled by native tribes had resulted in dozens of border skirmishes. The inability of the individual states to prevent illegal settlements on native land motivated the American government to take charge of relations with Indian tribes. In order for the United States to expand, it would be necessary to purchase land from native tribes. To do this, leaders like Thomas Jefferson publicly advocated for the domestication of Indian tribes. If the United States could share agricultural techniques and encourage Indian tribes to use less land, then it could establish new settlements on lands purchased from native governments.
Sources:
Mark M. Boatner III, Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. (Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 1994).
Mark C Carnes, Ed. U.S. History. (New York: MacMillan Library Reference, 1998).
Marilyn Miller and Martin Faux, American History Desk Reference. (New York: MacMillan, 1997).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
