United Indian Nations Council | Message to Congress, 1786
Following the Revolutionary War, one of the most pressing issues that the confederation government faced was the disposition of western lands. Although the U.S. government negotiated with a number of Indian tribes to gain clear title to western lands, it often negotiated in secret with only a few leaders and backed negotiations with the threat of force. A pan-Indian council meeting was called in 1786 at which various leaders stated their concerns about the confederation government’s actions. The speech was addressed to the U.S. Congress and expressed the Indians’ united stance and their hopes for fair and open dealings with the United States.
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How did the Indians respond to their exclusion from the Treaty of Paris in 1783? What kinds of “mischief” do you think the Indians are referring to here? What do the Indians consider the most important ways to ensure fair treaty negotiations? |
To the Congress of the United States of America: Brethren of the United States of America: It is now more than three years since peace was made between the King of Great Britain and you, but we, the Indians, were disappointed, finding ourselves not included in that peace, according to our expectations: for we thought that its conclusion would have promoted a friendship between the United States and Indians, and that we might enjoy that happiness that formerly subsisted between us and our elder brethren. . . . In the course of our councils, we imagined we hit upon an expedient that would promote a lasting peace between us. Brothers: We are still of the same opinion as to the means which may tend to reconcile us to each other; and we are sorry to find, although we had the best thoughts in our minds, during the beforementioned period, mischief has, nevertheless, happened between you and us. We are still anxious of putting our plan of accommodation into execution, and we shall briefly inform you of the means that seem most probable to us of effecting a firm and lasting peace and reconciliation: the first step towards which should, in our opinion, be, that all treaties carried on with the United States, on our parts, should be with the general voice of the whole confederacy, and carried on in the most open manner, without any restraint on either side; and especially as landed matters are often the subject of our councils with you, a matter of the greatest importance and of general concern to us, in this case we hold it indispensably necessary that any cession of our lands should be made in the most public manner, and by the united voice of the confederacy; holding all partial treaties as void and of no effect. Source: American State Papers, Class II: Indian Affairs (Washington, 1832), 1:8. |
Put It in Context
Why have Indians chosen to send this message to Congress from the United Indian Nations Council rather than from their individual nations?
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