America's early policy of viewing Native American tribes as a threat lead to a grave injustice and its longest war.
If one were to examine the official government view of the Native American population from the creation of the United States until the modern era, a common theme would appear. Although generalizations are dangerous in historical exploration it is clear from even the most limited examination of literature from the colonial period that, at least from a government perspective, Native Americans were viewed as a threat. The founding documents of the American government paint a vivid, grossly inaccurate picture of the surrounding Indian nations as savage monsters incapable of civilization. This was a convenient construct for the framers of this policy, as it allowed colonial leaders to play on the fears that the colonists and the outside world had of the occupants of America's borderlands. This view persisted from the Declaration of Independence up through the creation of the federal government; changing only in recent decades to a more refined, less biased view. The damage, however, had already been done. How did such a skewed understanding of their neighbors play out in the formation of American’s Indian policy? Moreover, from where did this mistrust originate?
The first reference to Native Americans among the founding documents of the United States can be found in the Declaration of Independence. Given the tense political sensitivities of the time, compounded with the need to justify rebellion, it is understandable that the “founding fathers” would use inflammatory generalizations about surrounding tribes as a means of underlying their contempt for the British government. Among the long list of grievances directed toward George III, the colonists accused the British crown of encouraging attacks by, “the merciless Indian savages.” All tribes are indicted as such in this statement, despite the fact that many fought for the protection of the colonies in the previous war with France. Classified as vicious marauders, “whose know rules of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions,” Indians tribes are immediately vilified as being in collusion with the British government. The motivation behind this misrepresentation was most likely fear that should another war begin, the tribes would side with the British (having received better treatment from them than from the colonial governments). There is no clear historical evidence that the British government sought to foment insurrection among the various Indian tribes as a means of bringing the colonists to heel in the event of rebellion. This was an overreaction meant to generate a sense of sympathy for the colonies among potential allies in Europe—the declaration itself being such an effort. This only served to perpetuate a renewed sense of animosity direct at Indians states, which in turn made them more apt to accept British peace overtures.
Since the United States was not a cohesive national unit when the declaration was written, the policy of treating surrounding Indian states as potential threats emanated from the individual colonies themselves—most assuredly from those colonies who had, through expansion into Indian territory, provoked conflicts with neighboring tribes. This sentiment was carried over when a plan for union was discussed and eventually adopted by the fledgling United States. The Articles of Confederation (discussed in 1777, but not in effect until 1781) included special defensive provisions in the case of sudden invasion by any tribe. The Continental Congress had already created its own department to manage Indian affairs in 1775, whose authority was now expanded by this new charter. Based on the British model, the Committee on Indian Affairs created three departments to treat with and maintain the tenuous peace between Native American states. This committee continued to hold this brief until 1786, when the War Committee assumed responsibility for their affairs. By this time, however, the flaws of the confederation government were already apparent. This first step in national Indian policy would only worsen with the American Revolution. The mismanagement and campaign of terror enacted against Native American tribes would stain the new republic for over a century. What came next was an utter miscarriage of justice.
