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A BRIEF HISTORY |
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The founding of the Iroquois League is estimated to be around the 15th century. |
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The original "Five Nations" of the Iroquois were the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. The sixth nation, the Tuscarora, was adopted by the Iroquois Confederacy about 1715 after being forced out of North Carolina. During this early period the Iroquois freely roamed from New England to the Mississippi River and as far south as Tennessee. By mid-1700 their main territory was New York State. They also occupied some parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania as well. |
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The Iroquois Indians, throughout the centuries, had many foreign invaders to contend with. The Revolutionary War, and what would follow, would prove to be the beginning of the end. The Iroquois would eventually lose the rights to almost all the lands they had held for hundreds of years. |
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The Iroquois were skilled in the strategies of war. They did quite well holding their ground by playing these foreigners against each other. They held treaties with each foreign power, then changed allies when it was to their benefit. Always keeping the British and the French a little off balance as to which side they were really on. This kept the balance of power between the British and French in check with the Iroquois with the most control. Each side was aware it would be dangerous to have the Indian Nations against them. |
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This point in American history is too long to go into here so I will have to jump ahead a bit. After the British beat the French, with the help of the Indians, there was still the British and now the American patriots to contend with. New York State was a major battleground in early American history during the Revolutionary War. The Iroquois tried to remain neutral believing it was a white man's war and it was best to let them fight it out amongst themselves. Their position of aggressive neutrality was still upheld, but with certain conditions. The British and the Americans were to keep their battles out of Iroquois territory; and they were not to interference with the travel by Indian hunters between posts or forts to trade. |
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By 1775 most of the Mohawks had left for Ontario Canada. The unrest in the area had become too great. The remainder of the Mohawks melded into the other nations, or, joined alliance with the British or the Americans. In the fall of 1775 a council was held at Pittsburgh; and another held in July of 1776 at Fort Pitt with the Continental Commissioners. It was reiterated what they had said before. The Iroquois would remain neutral, but neither the British nor the Americans were permitted to even pass into the territory of the Six Nations. If either side inhibited trade or travel, entered their territory or harmed their people the Iroquois Confederacy would rise against them. |
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The Americans however were becoming untrustworthy. The Continental Congress had already broken an agreement held in Albany in August of 1775. Patriots had seized Oswego despite the Six Nations warnings to keep their battles out of their territory, and had also captured Mohawk warriors. A Mohawk Sachem, Peter Nickus, who had been wounded, was hacked to death by a patriotic white swordsman. Through all of this the Iroquois as a whole had tried to remain neutral. It was becoming impossible, however, to keep the status quo. The Nations were becoming split and choosing sides. |
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In mid year of 1777 a council was held at Oswego with the British. After being bribed with food, rum (which their bodies were not accustomed too), and other gifts the British stated their case. It was explained to them the Americans were like bad children in need of punishment. The British said the Americans would be easy to beat. The British also made promises that they would never keep in regards to the Indians retaining their lands. After the Indians met in private council it was decided to stand with the British against the American rebels. |
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Battles were numerous after the winter of 1777. The Iroquois suffered the brunt of the causalities harming their way of life as well as their political structure. Many Sachems and Chiefs were killed. Sides had been chosen splitting the Iroquois Confederacy and pitting brother against brother. Warriors from Oneida and Tuscarora sided with the American rebels. Seneca, Cayuga, Mohawk and Onondaga Nations allied with the British. |
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Exaggerated rumors abounded of blood thirsty Indians committing gruesome crimes. Some of the warriors accused weren't even at the battles where supposedly these crimes had occurred. Many of the stories of the horror of this war are true such as the Iroquois attack on Cherry Valley. One must remember that this was a war and brutality was committed on all sides. Not much was mentioned, even today, of the atrocities that were committed against the Indians both physically and politically. |
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Finally, in 1779, George Washington (later dubbed "Town Destroyer" by the Iroquois) sent Major General John Sullivan on what the history books refer to as an "expedition" through the territory of the Six Nations. His orders, to destroy the area and take as many prisoners as possible. The British and their Indian allies were inflicting raid after raid upon American settlements. In order to stop the British, the Americans and their Indian allies would have to inflict a major blow to the Iroquois that had sided with them. |
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By the time Sullivan was through, over 40 Indian villages were destroyed along with their crops. Few Indians were captured because they had fled before Sullivan's army reached them. What little had remained of the Mohawk village had been destroyed as well as that of the Onondaga and Cayuga. The British as revenge then destroyed the Oneida and Tuscarora villages. Only the two largest of the Seneca villages remained standing. Battles and raids raged, one against the other, again after the winter of 1779. So it continued in 1780, 1781, and 1782. In 1783 the British finally admitted defeat. |
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The war had been an expensive undertaking. This new "American" country was now in serious debt. Some soldiers had not even been paid for their services. The Americans were not interested in another war with the Indians. They of course still wanted the Iroquois land. This could be sold for cash so the economy could be stabilized. Soldiers could also be paid in land grants. |
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Robert Morris, known as the financier of the American Revolution, was also interested in land speculation. His support of the Revolution had left him in financial ruin and he was hoping to recoup some of his loss. In 1791 he purchased from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the lands in New York State that would later be know as the Holland Purchase. Morris' debt became too much, however. His creditors were hounding him to the point that he was afraid to answer his door. He had no choice but to sell his land as quickly as he could. |
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In 1792 and 1793 Morris sold this land to the Holland Land Company. There was one catch. The title to the land, held by the Indians, would have to be extinguished. The deal with the investors from Holland was made on the condition Morris would take care of this as soon as possible. |
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In 1796 after several delays Robert Morris wrote a letter to President Washington for help. Morris explained that his delay was out of public consideration. That he was waiting for peace with the Indians before approaching them on selling the rights to their land. Morris was confident that the time was now right and that he felt the Indians were desirous of the sale. He asked Washington to appoint a commissioner to preside at a treaty with the Seneca Nation. This way he could formally purchase the land in which he had already invested a large amount of money. This would also solve the problem of the growing number of settler's squattering on the land, which if they did, might also disrupt the peace with the Indians. |
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President Washington granted his request and sent Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth to act as commissioner representing the United States. Robert Morris, due to his own personal problems, sent his son Thomas and Charles Williamson to act in his place as his attorneys. The event was to be held at Big Tree in what is now Geneseo in Livingston County on August 28, 1797. |
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The council was attended by the above named parties as well as representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and members of the Holland Land Company. On September 15, 1797 the Treaty at Big Tree was signed. Fifty-two Iroquois Indians signed the treaty that day. Among them were Chiefs and Sachems of the Seneca Nation who would be immortalized in American history. They included Blacksnake, Little Beard, Little Billy, Big Tree, Destroy Town, Pollard, Farmers Brother, Cornplanter, Young King, Handsome Lake, and Red Jacket. The sum of the sale was $100,000 plus the lands the Indians were allowed to retain for their home. Thus began America's string of treaties, compromises, and broken promises with the Iroquois Nations. |
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