PILOT SITE

PILOT SITE

The United States was physically created through treaties that transferred land from indigenous nations to the control of a single government. Although these documents are fundamentally important to the history and identity of the United States, few people today know anything about them.

This site examines the Indian Treaties through the lens of biography, beginning with the 2,500 men who signed these documents on behalf of the U.S. government.  Who were these men? What did they gain from their role in treaty making? How did their involvement in treaties shape the course of history on the North American continent? As we examine their lives and the connections among them, narratives emerge that often contradict the familiar mythologies of U.S.– Indian relations.

The official U.S. Indian Treaties bear approximately 4, 600 signatures on behalf of the United States government. these signatures were made by 2, 500 men, many of whom signed more than one treaty.

The actions and interests of these men shaped U.S.-Indian relations and defined the national character of the U.S.

Hundreds of treaty signers were intimately connected by family and business ties.

Through these connections, they controlled the benefits of Indian land acquisition by manipulating treaty boundaries, establishing trade agreements that benefited their own companies; forging real estate deals under the table during treaty negotiations; receiving bribes for opening Indian land for corporate purposes; receiving kickbacks for making governments land payments directly payable to Indian traders.

Today, we imagine any number of historical forces that “necessitated” U.S. expansion (e.g. population growth, the need for farm land, a belief in  Manifest Destiny). In fact, the material gains derived by the signers rival any other motivation for acquiring land from indigenous nations.

THE WEB OF CONNECTIONS

GOVERNMENT SIGNERS

FEATURED TREATY

Featured TREATY and Featured TREATY SIGNER