American Revolution On Native Americans

Words: 2002
Pages: 9

Relevance of the American Revolution on Native Americans The American Revolution was a gruesome and deadly battle fought between the British and the American colonists, but it also involved the Indian population of America. The battle for American Independence originally did not include the Natives, but both the British and the Patriots ultimately sought the help of the Natives in the war. Getting involved in the war had a catastrophic impact on Natives, not only in regards to their population but also to their lands. Although not a direct consequence of the war, there was a steep population decline of Natives in the area as a result of European diseases brought over by settlers. Prior to the war, there was a population of 1.65 million people, …show more content…
The treaty officially ended the war and gave Britain all land east of the Mississippi River, territory formally controlled by the French. When this land was controlled by the French, the Natives and the French colonists lived and traded harmoniously among each other. The French had given the Natives presents in order to show respect and diplomacy, a friendly act the Natives had grown accustom to.3 The French had a very personal relationship with the Native Americans as well, with some intermarried and even living among them.4 At the conclusion of the war, the Natives were no longer seen as allies but as conquered peoples of the British. The British did not consider Native Americans to be of equal stature, and instead viewed them as savages. The British struggled to assert dominance and control over the Natives in the area, and failed to enact new policies Native Americans were willing to comply with.5 In 1758, early on in the Seven Years war, the British signed the Treaty of Easton. The Treaty of Easton stated that the British would not settle west of the Allegheny Mountains as long as the Ohio Nation did not side with the French in the war.6 The Natives ultimately sided with the British prior to the war, but then chose to side with the French during the war due to their stronger relationship with France. Even though the Natives did not side with Britain in the war, they were angered when the …show more content…
Colonists began settling along the Kentucky bank of the Ohio River. In 1768, the British government negotiated a new boundary line with the Iroquois, resulting in the Iroquois agreeing to give up their lands east and south of the Ohio River.19 This agreement, known as the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, angered the other Ohio Native American tribes, including the Delaware, the Seneca-Cayuga, and the Shawnee.20 These tribes claimed that the Iroquois, who did not actually live in the Ohio Country, did not have the right to negotiate on behalf of them with the British government.21 The colonial settlers began moving west into Native territory, despite claims from the other Native tribes that the treaty was void because they had not agreed to allow western settlement. By the Spring of 1774, violence erupted in the Ohio Country and continued in the area for over two