Treaty of Canandaigua
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Canandaigua is a treaty signed after the American Revolutionary War
between the Grand Council of the Six Nations and President George Washington
representing the United States of America.
It was signed at Canandaigua
, New York
on November 11, 1794, by fifty sachems and war chiefs representing the Grand Council of the Six Nations of the Iroquois
(Haudenosaunee) Confederacy (including the Cayuga
, Mohawk
, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca
and Tuscarora
tribes), and by Timothy Pickering
, official agent of President George Washington
.
, and the boundaries established by the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
of 1788.
It was the second diplomatic agreement entered into by the United States of America under its current Constitution
(the first was the Treaty of New York
, made with the Creek Indians in 1790).
The treaty, also known as the Pickering Treaty and the Calico Treaty, is still actively recognized by the United States and the nations of the Haudenosaunee confederacy. However, 10,000 acres of the Allegheny Reservation were legally condemned for eminent domain during construction of Kinzua Dam
, causing relocation of 600 Seneca.
The Six Nations in New York still receive calico cloth as payment under the treaty, while the Oneida of Wisconsin still receive an annuity check of $1,800.
Notable signatories include:
TIMOTHY PICKERING
Witnesses
Israel Chapin,
Wm. Shepard Jun'r,
James Smedley,
John Wickham,
Augustus Porter,
James H. Garnsey,
Wm. Ewing,
Israel Chapin, Jun'r
Interpreters
Horatio Jones,
Joseph Smith,
Jasper Parrish,
Henry Abeele,
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
between the Grand Council of the Six Nations and President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
representing the United States of America.
It was signed at Canandaigua
Canandaigua (city), New York
Canandaigua is a city in Ontario County, New York, USA, of which it is the county seat. The population was 11,264 at the 2000 census...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on November 11, 1794, by fifty sachems and war chiefs representing the Grand Council of the Six Nations of the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
(Haudenosaunee) Confederacy (including the Cayuga
Cayuga nation
The Cayuga people was one of the five original constituents of the Haudenosaunee , a confederacy of American Indians in New York. The Cayuga homeland lay in the Finger Lakes region along Cayuga Lake, between their league neighbors, the Onondaga to the east and the Seneca to the west...
, Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
and Tuscarora
Tuscarora (tribe)
The Tuscarora are a Native American people of the Iroquoian-language family, with members in New York, Canada, and North Carolina...
tribes), and by Timothy Pickering
Timothy Pickering
Timothy Pickering was a politician from Massachusetts who served in a variety of roles, most notably as the third United States Secretary of State, serving in that office from 1795 to 1800 under Presidents George Washington and John Adams.-Early years:Pickering was born in Salem, Massachusetts to...
, official agent of President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
.
Contents of the Treaty
The treaty established peace and friendship between the United States of America and the Six Nations, and affirmed Haudenosaunee land rights in the state of New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and the boundaries established by the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
Phelps and Gorham Purchase
The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of the pre-emptive right to some 6,000,000 acres of land in western New York State for $1,000,000 . This was all land in western New York west of Seneca Lake between Lake Ontario and the Pennsylvania border...
of 1788.
It was the second diplomatic agreement entered into by the United States of America under its current Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
(the first was the Treaty of New York
Treaty of New York
The Treaty of New York is one of several treaties signed between the United States and Native American tribes, conducted in the city of New York.-1790:...
, made with the Creek Indians in 1790).
The treaty, also known as the Pickering Treaty and the Calico Treaty, is still actively recognized by the United States and the nations of the Haudenosaunee confederacy. However, 10,000 acres of the Allegheny Reservation were legally condemned for eminent domain during construction of Kinzua Dam
Kinzua Dam
The Kinzua Dam, in the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest dams in the United States east of the Mississippi River....
, causing relocation of 600 Seneca.
The Six Nations in New York still receive calico cloth as payment under the treaty, while the Oneida of Wisconsin still receive an annuity check of $1,800.
Signatories
The treaty was signed by fifty Sachems and War Chiefs.Notable signatories include:
- Ki-ant-whau-ka (Corn PlanterCornplanterGaiänt'wakê was a Seneca war-chief. He was the son of a Seneca mother, Aliquipiso, and a Dutch father, Johannes Abeel. He also carried the name John Abeel after his fur trader father...
) - Kon-ne-at-or-tee-ooh (Handsome LakeHandsome LakeHandsome Lake was a Seneca religious leader of the Iroquois people. He was also half-brother to Cornplanter....
) - Se-quid-ong-guee (Little BeardLittle BeardLittle Beard, Si-gwa-ah-doh-gwih , was a Seneca chief who participated in the American Revolutionary War on the side of Great Britain...
) - Sog-goo-ya-waut-hau (Red JacketRed JacketRed Jacket was a Native American Seneca orator and chief of the Wolf clan...
)
TIMOTHY PICKERING
Witnesses
Israel Chapin,
Wm. Shepard Jun'r,
James Smedley,
John Wickham,
Augustus Porter,
James H. Garnsey,
Wm. Ewing,
Israel Chapin, Jun'r
Interpreters
Horatio Jones,
Joseph Smith,
Jasper Parrish,
Henry Abeele,
Sources
- Laurence M. Hauptman, Conspiracy of Interests: Iroquois Dispossession and the Rise of New York State (2001).
- Jemison, G. Peter (ed.), Schein, Anna M. (ed.) and Powless Jr., Irving (ed.). Treaty of Canandaigua 1794: 200 Years of Treaty Relations Between the Iroquois Confederacy and the United States. Clear Light Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1-57416-052-4