As Americans, when we think of the Revolutionary War, we think of the leadership of George Washington, the heroism of John Hancock, or the tyranny of King George III. However, the real story behind the Revolution is that of the Native Americans who fought in the conflict. They weren’t only fighting for their allies in the British or Americans, but for their very existence!
For years, Native Americans had been competing for their land with encroaching American settlers. The British controlled the American colonies and with the Proclamation of 1763, declared that there would be no settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Natives appreciated this greatly. Therefore, it’s no surprise that when the colonies declared their independence in 1776, most of the native tribes sided with the British. The Natives believed that if they sided with the British, then when the British won, it would guarantee …show more content…
The Mohawk Chief Thayendanegea (or Joseph Brant) convinced four out of the six Iroquois nations (The Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Seneca) to support the British. He led Indian, British, and Loyalist forces on raids against the Patriots. But the Oneida and Tuscarora sided with the Americans, owing much to the American missionary Samuel Kirkland. Thayendanegea stopped when General John Sullivan led and American army through Iroquois land, burning forty towns and their crops. The Revolution was in essence, a civil war for the Iroquois.
When the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, the British didn’t even consider what would happen to their Indian allies. Britain handed the newly founded United States all of their land. The U.S. then expanded westward, acquiring Indian Lands. The Americans didn’t care whose land they were taking. Whether the land belonged to the tribes who sided with the British or the Americans, it didn’t matter. Even the Stockbridges and Oneidas, who had supported the United States, lost their
For years, Native Americans had been competing for their land with encroaching American settlers. The British controlled the American colonies and with the Proclamation of 1763, declared that there would be no settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Natives appreciated this greatly. Therefore, it’s no surprise that when the colonies declared their independence in 1776, most of the native tribes sided with the British. The Natives believed that if they sided with the British, then when the British won, it would guarantee …show more content…
The Mohawk Chief Thayendanegea (or Joseph Brant) convinced four out of the six Iroquois nations (The Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Seneca) to support the British. He led Indian, British, and Loyalist forces on raids against the Patriots. But the Oneida and Tuscarora sided with the Americans, owing much to the American missionary Samuel Kirkland. Thayendanegea stopped when General John Sullivan led and American army through Iroquois land, burning forty towns and their crops. The Revolution was in essence, a civil war for the Iroquois.
When the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, the British didn’t even consider what would happen to their Indian allies. Britain handed the newly founded United States all of their land. The U.S. then expanded westward, acquiring Indian Lands. The Americans didn’t care whose land they were taking. Whether the land belonged to the tribes who sided with the British or the Americans, it didn’t matter. Even the Stockbridges and Oneidas, who had supported the United States, lost their