The+Black+Hawk+Treaty

Original Author: Ryan McNeal, ENG340 FL10 Revision Author:
 * The Black Hawk Treaty**

One of the most significant events in the history of the Quad Cities was the signing of the Black Hawk Treaty on September 21, 1832. The Black Hawk Treaty was named after the Sauk Chief (a specific Native American tribe) who was at the center of the Black Hawk War conflict Black Sparrow Hawk. The signing of the Black Hawk Treaty allowed the U.S. government to claim land west of the Mississippi River, including the eastern side of the Iowa territory. Signing the treaty proved to halt any further armed skirmishes between the U.S. government and the Native Americans in the Illinois and Wisconsin area.

The Black Hawk Treaty would’ve never been signed, let alone created, if it wasn’t for the failure of the Treaty of 1804. Tensions between Native Americans and the United States have been well documented throughout history. According to //Indian America: The Black Hawk War//, by Miriam Gurko, the British purposely exacerbated these tensions in order to distract the U.S. while the British had their hands full dealing with Napoleon Bonaparte. Miriam Gurko states,

“The British were afraid that while their own armies were occupied against Napoleon in Europe, the Americans might try to seize part of Canada. The British Canadians hoped to use the Indians in two ways: to keep the Americans so busy dealing with native unrest that they would not have the time to march against Canada, and to encourage the Indians to fight on the side of Canada in case war did break out” (Gurko 77-78).

The purchase of the Louisiana Territory by the U.S. only served to aggravate Native American hostility toward the U.S. This was especially the case for the Sauk and Fox tribes as the boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase would include their own hunting grounds.

After an unsavory incident, where a few young Sauk warriors murdered a group of Americans after a quarrel, the Sauk and Fox sent a small group of peace delegators, consisting of five minor chiefs, to St. Louis to hand over the culprit. William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana Territory and superintendent of Northwest Indian affairs, saw this as an opportunity to persuade the group into handing over not only the culprit but also a large amount of land. When the group arrived in St. Louis Harrison gave the group lavish gifts and whisky. When Harrison felt the party was in a drunken state he persuaded the group to sign over a vast amount of land, this was the Treaty of 1804. When the group returned the entire tribe was in a state of shock and confusion.

The Treaty of 1804 required Native Americans to relinquish all land east of the Mississippi River. In return for their cooperation the U.S. government paid the Native Americans $2,234.50 and promised there would be no more U.S. expansion. In addition to this agreement the U.S government would pay the Native Americans $1,000 in goods every year, $600 to the Sauk and $400 to the Fox, as long as the Native Americans continued follow the rules of the treaty. The Treaty of 1804 gave the United States government 51 million acres of land, thus proving to be one of the biggest land bargains the U.S. has ever received from the Native Americans.

To the Americans this treaty was a legal and binding document that was masterfully negotiated by the governor William Harrison. The Sauk and Fox tribes felt differently about the subject; the small group sent to St. Louis (made up of five minor chiefs) were not authorized to start negotiations for trading land and the parameters of the negotiations were not discussed amongst the important tribal leaders. Due to the lack of communication amongst the governor and the rest of the tribe, members of both tribes were confused by what the treaty meant to them. The Sauk and Fox tribes did not understand the white man’s concept of land ownership, Black Hawk felt that “Land cannot be sold” (Gurko 80) if someone lived on a piece of land and cultivated it then that person has the right to it. Despite the tribe’s overall feeling of outrage Black Hawk and his tribe accepted the circumstances. Peace between then the United States and the two tribes lasted for about 24 years. The peace proved to be fleeting as resentment boiled over once Fort Madison was built on Native American Territory.

The following years after the signing of the Treaty of 1804 were relatively peaceful as the Native Americans were allowed to stay on their land until the white settlers decided they needed the land. Although times appeared peaceful, misunderstandings and distrust grew among all Native Americans. Between the years of 1800 and 1809 a total area of one hundred million acres had been taken away from the Native Americans. Many Native Americans became displaced by the repossession of land, the anger cause by the displacement led to the War of 1812. During this War certain tribes including the Shawnee joined the British to fight against the Americans. A Shawnee by the name of Tecumseh began forming a Native American confederacy; Tecumseh came to the Sauk and Fox to recruit fellow warriors. At this time the Sauk and Fox were hesitant to join in the fight, remaining neutral throughout the war. The war would resonate through the Sauk and Fox tribes eventually giving the Sauk and Fox the courage to also claim war on the Americans.

In 1830 construction on Fort Madison began in response the turmoil growing between the U.S. and the Native Americans. Members of the Sauk tribe thought the construction of Fort Madison on Native American territory meant an end to the Treaty of 1804. When Black Hawk and 1,000 of his tribe’s men returned from a hunting trip they found a number of Americans settled in their village, located in present day Rock Island, Illinois. Believing the treaty was over Black Hawk forced the settlers out of the village threatening possible violence. The scared settlers went straight to Illinois governor John Reynolds to complain about how they were treated by the Native Americans. In response to the accusations Reynolds ordered General Edmond Gaines to take horse mounted soldiers to the village and retake the land for the settlers.

The ordered attack lead by General Gaines was successful as he and his soldiers were able to push the Sauk tribe back to the western side of the Mississippi river. General Gaines then called for a meeting to forge yet another treaty called the Corn Treaty of June 30th, 1831. The rules of this new treaty required that the Sauk could not return to the eastern side of the Mississippi river without prior permission to do so. The treaty also allowed the construction of roads and forts to be built on Sauk territory. The consequence of this action caused food shortages among the Sauk tribe during the winter.

In 1832 Black Hawk choose to defy the Corn Treaty, despite numerous warnings, in order to visit Saukenuk, Black Hawk’s previous village. He then headed toward the Winnebago village located in Prophets town where he was sighted and told return home. When confronted Black Hawk refused and explained his intentions of growing a crop in Winnebago. When Governor Reynolds heard about the confrontation, he immediately sent 1,600 militiamen to scout out the followers of Black Hawk. The militiaman split apart and sent 75 soldiers ahead of the rest militia. Black Hawk at the same time sent three warriors with a piece flag to intercept the advancing soldiers, Black Hawk also sent a group of observers behind the three warriors. When the warriors met with the militiamen they were immediately fired upon, the survivors fled back to the village to inform Chief Black Hawk. Governor Reynolds actions prove to inflame the Sac tribe’s emotions thus opening the door for war to begin. This war would be known as the Black Hawk War.

During the war the Sauk and Fox suffered many casualties due to the war and lack of supplies. The Sauk and Fox were eventually pushed back across the river, toward the Wisconsin territory. This proved to be the final nail in the coffin as the Sauk and Fox were confronted by their strong rival tribe the Sioux. The war quickly became a slaughter. Black Hawk was finally captured and turned over to the custody of the United States.

With all his rivals either captured or killed Chief Keokuk was now the lone voice for the Sauk and Fox tribes. This allowed Chief Keokuk ability to make peace negotiations with the United States government by himself. On the U.S. side General Scott and Governor Reynolds were put in charge of handling negotiations. General Scott was ordered by the Secretary of War to demand some of the land west of the Mississippi in order to keep the Sauk and Fox tribes isolated from white settlers. Secretary of War Cass wanted the whole tribe to suffer for Black Hawk’s actions even though most of the anti-white supporters under Black Hawk died.

The actual negotiation took place on September 19, with Keokuk as the chief negotiator. Both Sauk and Fox tribes lost large amounts of land as the new peace treaty being formed required for both tribes to give up a total of 6 million acres. The Sauk and Fox were also forbidden to, “reside, plant, fish, or hunt on any portion of the ceded country” (Gurko 157). This newly formed peace treaty between the United States government, the Sauk and the Fox would come to be known as the Black Hawk Treaty. As for Black Hawk he and his sons were held in custody indefinitely.


 * Works Cited **

Eby, Cecil. //“That Disgraceful Affair,” the Black Hawk War//Canada: George J. McLeod Limited, 1973. Gurko, Miriam. //Indian America: The Black Hawk War// New York: Thomas Y. Company, 1970. Hall, John W. //Uncommon Defense: Indian Allies in the Black Hawk War// Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2009. History, Black Hawk State Historic site []. Web. 30 Nov 2010 Lewis, James. The Black Hawk War of 1832 []. Web. 27 Nov. 2010 

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