Haudenosaunee’s Role in the American Revolution

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The Haudenosaunee represents the Iroquois, who were found in the Northeast Turtle Island known as North America. The founding nations that formed the Haudenosaunee included the Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Oneida. The great unification was later reinforced by the addition of the Tuscarora nation, which resulted in the convergence of the Great Tree of Peace. In particular, the People of the Longhouse managed to stay on good terms with other rising nations for a long time, dating back to around 1190¹. The Haudenosaunee managed to maintain peace by navigating through violence. Peace and all the disruptions concerning the American Revolution by avoiding taking sides. They also signed treaties in relation to the support needed by the Americans and the Indians to avoid the conflicts that arose between the nations. Thus, Haudenosaunee navigated through conflict due to concerns of being impacted by it, where they actively avoided choosing sides or engaging in wars, such as the Sullivan War.

Firstly, Haudenosaunee managed to navigate the violence and all the disruption that arose during the American Revolution. Article 1 states: “peace and friendship are hereby firmly established, and shall be perpetual, between the United States and the Six Nations.”² The strong treaties between the Haudenosaunee and the other nations were so eminent that they declined to choose sides which would land them in serious trouble with their opposing counterparts. The people under this unification maintained social integrity and respected each other, ensuring they gave each other the respect everyone deserved. The presence of the strength that these people depicted created the strongest of bonds. These resulted in the formation of one of the strongest armies among the six nations.

Moreover, the spark of the war came by when the Indians, the French, and England started seeking allies from the Haudenosaunee. The three nations wanted to make allies to ensure they had the resources to fight if a war broke out, claiming the land they needed. Much progress came about with the English since they became friends with the Haudenosaunee. One individual who made this step happen was Sir William Johnson, who had assimilated himself within the environs that the Indians considered him to be one of theirs. These six nations, therefore, gave way to the formation of the Confederacy that resulted in the creation of the “Boundary Line Treaty.”³ The treaty’s main aim was to prevent other nations’ illegal encroachment into others’ already inhabited lands.

Secondly, the initiation of the war between Britain and its colonies gave rise to serious concerns with the Haudenosaunee. The Confederacy did not want anything to do with the war and quarrels that were going on. They hence decided to take no part in any of the misunderstandings⁴. They did not know the cause of the problem that arose between England and all the colonies it had. Particularly, the Oneida part of the six-conference league wrote a letter to England addressing the fact that they would join neither side⁵. The Haudenosaunee tried to maintain a neutral course since the pressure for retaliation grew stronger, where securing existing lands was a priority. For example, Article 2 states: “the United States will never claim the same nor disturb them or either of the Six Nations.”⁶ The British wanted and insisted that the people of the Longhouse give them the support they needed. The fact that the people from England wanted the Confederacy to fulfill its obligations became more evident to the extent that it started to spill over to the other nations. Some members of the Confederacy started to have different ideologies, as there was a lack of unity in the agreements between the member nations⁷. An imminent disagreement led to the six nations splitting since they could not sustain the unified course to support the British.

Thirdly, the creation of the old alliances between the members of the Haudenosaunee and the other parties that were not initially in the treaty made the members choose sides regarding the ones they wanted to support. The majority of the members of the Longhouse wanted to take sides with the British since they believed they stood a chance to win if their land was under the control of Britain. Two revolting states proved otherwise, failing to support the British since they also had another opinion that the Americans would protect them⁸. The Oneida and the Tuscarora believed otherwise and came out of the pact since they did not want to side with the rest of the Confederacy members. One major way the members served to be useful was by providing advice to weaken the opposing side. In so doing, they managed to stay out of harm’s way since there could be no opposition whatsoever and also no enmity. The Confederacy had a different opinion come 1784 when there was a need to sign a different treaty that brought about members of the Haudenosaunee giving up most of their land⁹. It was done in order to avoid the brutal war during the period of the American Revolution.

Fourthly, the people of the Longhouse also took the initiative of not involving themselves in the Sullivan war. The long-run battle between the Indians and Sullivan led to the destruction of property and every other asset that the Indians held valuable¹⁰. To avoid bloodshed and continue maintaining the dignity of the six-house Confederacy, there was an injunction to give no support to any of the members of the fighting side. There was much damage brought about by Sullivan, who created chaos in whichever state he visited. There were, hence, treaties that the Confederacy made, and a particular example was the treaty at Fort Harmar.

The main aim of the treaty was to solve some of the problems that brought about the American Revolution. The mainland between the Indians and those of the United States was part of the major problems that had to be discussed in this convention. The Americans were also to relinquish any land they had not mentioned in the treaty with the Oneida and Tuscarora nations, given unlimited access to their lands¹¹. Article 4 states: “they will never claim any other lands within the boundaries of the United States.”¹² It mainly incorporated the members making an effort to maintain peace with the six nations and ensure they all lived in harmony.

In conclusion, the treaty between the six nations and the allies significantly changed events that brought about peace within the nations. The six nations hence ensured that they maintained the peace with the United States. The Confederacy was hence, able to keep the peace and avoid disruptions that could arise since the agreement bound them. Hence, the aspect of loyalty that comes in regarding maintaining boundaries in order to protect the people of the nation becomes the key aspect in any nation and treaty.

Bibliography

Fitz, Caitlin A. “‘Suspected on Both Sides’: Little Abraham, Iroquois Neutrality, and the American Revolution.” Journal of the Early Republic 28, no. 3 (August 3, 2008): 299–335.

Kane, Maeve. “‘She Did Not Open Her Mouth Further’: Haudenosaunee Women as Military and Political Targets during and after the American Revolution.” In Women in the American Revolution: Gender, Politics, and the Domestic World, edited by Barbara Oberg, 83-102. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2019.

Kappler, Charles Joseph, ed. “Treaty with the Six Nations, 1794.” In Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, Volume II: Treaties, 34-37. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1904.

Lee, Wayne E. “From Gentility to Atrocity: The Continental Army’s Ways of War.” Army History, no. 62 (2006): 4–19.

Tiro, Karim M. “A ‘Civil’ War? Rethinking Iroquois Participation in the American Revolution.” Explorations in Early American Culture 4 (2000): 148–65.

Footnotes

Maeve Kane, “‘She Did Not Open Her Mouth Further’: Haudenosaunee Women as Military and Political Targets during and after the American Revolution.” In Women in the American Revolution: Gender, Politics, and the Domestic World, edited by Barbara Oberg, 99. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2019.
Kappler Charles, Treaty with the Six Nations (Laws and Treaties, Volume II, 1904), 35.
Kappler Charles, Treaty with the Six Nations, 35.
Caitlin A. Fitz, “‘Suspected on Both Sides’: Little Abraham, Iroquois Neutrality, and the American Revolution.” Journal of the Early Republic 28, no. 3 (August 3, 2008): 330.
Wayne E Lee, “From Gentility to Atrocity: The Continental Army’s Ways of War,” Army History, no. 62 (2006): 13.
Kappler Charles, Treaty with the Six Nations, 35.
Kappler Charles, Treaty with the Six Nations, 34.
Wayne E Lee, “From Gentility to Atrocity: The Continental Army’s Ways of War,” 14.
Wayne E Lee, “From Gentility to Atrocity: The Continental Army’s Ways of War,” 13.
Karim M Tiro, “A ‘Civil’ War? Rethinking Iroquois Participation in the American Revolution,” Explorations in Early American Culture 4 (2000): 161.
Kappler Charles, Treaty with the Six Nations, 35.
Kappler Charles, Treaty with the Six Nations, 35.

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Haudenosaunee’s Role in the American Revolution

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