![Treaty of Fort Pitt, September 17, 1778](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Treaty_of_Fort_Pitt%2C_September_17%2C_1778.png)
The Treaty of Fort Pitt, also known as the Treaty With the Delawares, the Delaware Treaty, or the Fourth Treaty of Pittsburgh, was signed on September 17, 1778, and was the first formal treaty between the new
United States of America and any
American Indians, in this case the
Lenape
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
, who were called Delaware by American settlers. Although many informal treaties were held with Native Americans during the
American Revolution from 1775 to 1783, the first one that resulted in a formal document was signed at
Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania, now the site of Downtown
Pittsburgh. It was essentially a treaty of military alliance between the Lenape Nation and the United States.
Background
In 1778, the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
started to contemplate an expedition against the British to the west of the
Appalachian Mountains, in particular at Detroit. For that end the patriots had to march through the
Ohio Valley where Lenape tribes resided.
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
decided to negotiate a formal treaty to secure free passage. It appointed three diplomatic commissioners and appropriated $10,000 to purchase trade goods for the Lenapes.
Negotiations
The commissioners arrived to Pittsburgh in March 1778. It took time to initiate and pursue negotiations. They were conducted on the Lenape side by Koquethaqechton, known as White Eyes, Hopocan, known as
Captain Pipe
Captain Pipe (c. 1725? – c. 1818?) ( Lenape), called Konieschquanoheel and also known as Hopocan in Lenape, was an 18th-century Head Peace chief of the Algonquian-speaking Lenape (Delaware) and War Chief 1778+. He succeeded his maternal u ...
, and John Kill Buck (
Gelelemend), and
Andrew Lewis Andrew Lewis may refer to:
Law and politics
* Sir Andrew J. W. Lewis (1875-1952), Scottish businessman and politician; Lord Provost of Aberdeen
* Andrew L. Lewis Jr. (1931–2016), American railroad executive and US Secretary of Transportation
*And ...
and
Thomas Lewis for the fledgling United States. After the treaty was finally approved and signed, it was witnessed by Brigadier General
Lachlan McIntosh, Colonel
Daniel Brodhead, and Colonel
William Crawford.
Treaty
The treaty gave the United States permission to travel through the Lenape territory and called Lenape to afford American troops whatever aid they might require in their war against Great Britain, including participation of Lenape warriors. The United States was planning to attack the British fort at Detroit, and Lenape assistance was essential for success.
In exchange, the United States promised "articles of clothing, utensils and implements of war" and to build a fort in Delaware country "for the better security of the old men, women and children... whilst their warriors are engaged against the common enemy." Although not part of the signed treaty, the commissioners pointed out the American alliance with France and intended that the Lenape would become active allies in the war against the British. The possibility of creation of a new Native American state was discussed.
The treaty also recognized the Lenapes as a sovereign nation, guaranteed their territorial rights, and even encouraged the other
Ohio Country Indian tribes friendly to the United States to form a state headed by the Lenapes with representation in the
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
. The extraordinary measure had little chance of success, and some suggest that the authors of the treaty were knowingly dishonest and deceitful. Others suggest that it was the Lenape chief
White Eyes
White Eyes, named ''Koquethagechton'' (c. 1730 – 5 November 1778), was Chief Sachem of the Lenape (Delaware) people in the Ohio Country during the era of the American Revolution. Sometimes known as George White Eyes, or Captain Grey Eyes al. Si ...
who proposed the measure in the hope that the Lenapes and other tribes might become the fourteenth state of the United States. In any case, it was never acted upon by either the United States or the Lenape Nation.
Implementation
According to
Daniel K. Richter
Daniel Karl Richter (born October 15, 1954) is an American historian specializing in early American history, especially colonial North America and Native American history before 1800. He is the Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of America ...
in ''
Facing East from Indian Country'', the Lenape perceived the agreement "merely as free passage" of revolutionary troops and the building of a protective fort to defend white settlers. The American leaders intended to use the fort for offensive campaigns and wrote into the treaty that the Lenape would attack their native neighbors.
Within a year, the Lenape were expressing grievances about the treaty. White Eyes, the tribe's most outspoken ally of the United States, allegedly died of
smallpox. However, since he already had smallpox in the past, it was believed that he was killed by the American militiamen near Detroit (according to
George Morgan). A Lenape delegation visited Philadelphia in 1779 to explain its dissatisfaction to the
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
, but nothing changed, and the peaceful relations between the United States and the Lenape Nation collapsed and the tribe soon joined the British in the war against the American revolutionaries. The
Gnadenhutten massacre in 1782 destroyed the remaining goodwill.
Commemoration
The 2013
Sacagawea dollar commemorates the Treaty of Fort Pitt. The coin depicts a turkey, a howling wolf, and a turtle, symbols of the
Lenape
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
. Its design was created by Susan Gamble, as part of the Artistic Infusion Program, and engraved by
Phebe Hemphill
Phebe Hemphill (born April 25, 1960) is an American sculptor who works for the United States Mint. She has been called "one of the preeminent coin artists, sculptors, and engravers of our time."
Early life and education
Hemphill was born April ...
.
References
Further reading
* Calloway, Colin G. ''The American Revolution in Indian County: Crisis and Diversity in Native Communities. Cambridge Studies in North American Indian History''. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
* Delay, Brian. Indian Polities, Empire, and the History of American Foreign Relations, ''Diplomatic History'' 39, no. 5 (November 2015): 927-42.
* Dowd, Gregory Evans. ''A Spirited Resistance: The North American Indian Struggle for Unity, 1745-1815''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.
* Grimes, Richard S. ''The Western Delaware Indian Nations, 1730-1795: Warriors and Diplomats.'' Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.
* Harjo, Suzan Shown (Ed.). ''Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations.'' Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 2014.
* Jones, Dorothy V. ''License for Empire: Colonialism by Treaty in Early America.'' Chicago: University of Chicago, 1982.
* Prucha, Francis Paul. ''American Indian Treaties: The History of a Political Anomaly.'' Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1994.
* Schutt, Amy C. ''Peoples of the River Valleys: The Odyssey of the Delaware Indians.'' Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007.
External links
Treaty with the Delawares, Sept. 17, 1778
{{DEFAULTSORT:Treaty Of Fort Pitt (1778)
Pennsylvania in the American Revolution
Fort Pitt
Lenape
Diplomacy during the American Revolutionary War
1778 in the United States
History of Pittsburgh
Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt
Western theater of the American Revolutionary War