1833 Treaty of Chicago facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
1833 Treaty of Chicago

Treaty Between the United States and the United Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi Indians
Cover page of the treaty
Type	Cession treaty
Context	Cession/Indian removal treaty that was negotiated after the 1830 passage of the Indian Removal Act
Signed	September 26, 1833 (treaty) September 27, 1833 (supplemental articles)
Location	Chicago, Illinois
Negotiators	George Bryan Porter (United States) Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen United States) William Weatherford (United States) Various Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi chiefs and leaders
Original signatories	George Bryan Porter (United States) Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen United States) William Weatherford (United States) Various Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi chiefs and leaders
Signatories	Andrew Jackson (president of the United States)
Parties	United States Government and the Chippewa, Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes

The 1833 Treaty of Chicago was an important agreement between the United States government and the Chippewa, Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes. This treaty required the tribes to give up about 5 million acres of their land. This land was located in what is now Illinois, the Wisconsin Territory, and the Michigan Territory. The tribes also had to agree to move west of the Mississippi River.

In return, the United States government promised the tribes money payments and new land west of the Mississippi River. This treaty was one of many "removal treaties" that happened after the Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830. It was the second major agreement known as the "Treaty of Chicago," following the 1821 Treaty of Chicago.

Why Was the Treaty Needed?

This treaty was negotiated about three years after the Indian Removal Act became law. Before this act, many treaties were made between the U.S. government and Native American tribes. These treaties often involved tribes giving up land.

How Did Treaties Change After the Indian Removal Act?

After the Indian Removal Act, treaties often included a new rule. This rule said that Native American tribes had to move west of the Mississippi River. The U.S. government would pay the tribes for their land. They would also help them pay off their debts and set up new homes west of the river. The 1833 Chicago Treaty was a typical example of these new kinds of treaties.

Why Did Settlers Want the Land?

One big reason for this treaty was the growing number of settlers moving into Illinois. After the Erie Canal opened in 1825, it became easier to travel to Illinois from the Eastern United States. Many settlers came looking for farmland.

There were also rumors after the 1832 Black Hawk War that Native Americans were clashing with these new settlers. People in Illinois pressured the government to remove Native Americans from the land. This would make more land available for settlers.

Were the Rumors True?

Illinois residents often complained about Native American behavior. These complaints were sent to the United States Department of War. However, these reports were often based on rumors and second-hand stories.

Officials who were closer to the situation said these rumors were not true. People like Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen (the U.S. government's agent in Chicago) and Governor George Bryan Porter of the Michigan Territory told the Office of Indian Affairs that the newspaper stories and rumors were unfair.

Planning the Removal

In early 1833, the Office of Indian Affairs started looking into moving the Potawatomi tribe. They looked for land west of the Mississippi River where the Potawatomi, Odawa, and Chippewa people could live if they agreed to move.

Chicago Indian Agent Owen wrote a letter in March 1833. He said that the chiefs he spoke with probably would not give up all their land. He thought they would only agree to move if they could first visit the new land. They wanted to be sure their new home was as good as their old one. Governor Porter believed that spending a lot of money to secure this land would be worth it. He thought the government could make the money back by selling the land to settlers.

Negotiating the Treaty

The U.S. government decided to hold treaty talks with the Potawatomi, Odawa, Chippewa, and Kickapoo tribes. The town of Chicago, Illinois, was chosen as the meeting place. Chicago was already a busy trading center. It also had Fort Dearborn and was a traditional gathering spot for the Potawatomi.

Setting Up the Meeting

On April 6, 1833, the U.S. Congress approved $10,000 to hold the treaty talks. Agent Owen was in charge of planning the meeting. A large open shelter was built in Chicago at the corner of Rush Street and Michigan Avenue. This building would be used as the council house for the talks.

Secretary of War Lewis Cass appointed the commissioners for the negotiations. These were Governor Porter, Agent Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen, and Colonel William Weatherford. Cass told them to work to clear all Native American land claims in the region. He believed this was good for both sides.

Cass also warned the commissioners about past treaties being too expensive. He said no liquor should be involved in the treaty dealings. He also wanted the money to be kept on Native American land, protected by the Army at Fort Dearborn.

Challenges Before the Talks

Plans for Native American leaders to visit the land west of the Mississippi before the talks fell through. This made negotiations harder. Governor Porter asked John F. Schermerhorn, an expert on western lands, to come to Chicago to help. Schermerhorn arrived and stayed during part of the meetings.

The Grand Gathering in Chicago

During the meeting, about 3,000 visitors came to Chicago. These included Native Americans, government officials, soldiers, and land speculators. At the time, Chicago was a small village with only about 150 buildings. Thousands of Native Americans arrived in the city when the meeting started.

Many non-Native people came to Chicago hoping to profit from the treaty. These included people with claims against the tribes or individuals. While traders tried to influence the treaty, they seemed to have little effect on the final terms. The large number of visitors also led to some disorder in the city.

The Talks Begin

The meeting took place from September 10 to October 7, 1833. Formal talks were supposed to start on September 12. However, the Native Americans were not in a hurry, so the first day of the council was on September 14.

To begin the proceedings, a fire was lit inside the council house. A peace pipe was passed between the U.S. government commissioners and the Native tribal chiefs.

The Native Americans did not want to give up their land. But they knew from past experiences that the U.S. government would usually get what it wanted. So, they likely felt it was best to make a deal, even though they wanted to stay on their lands.

An early version of the treaty was agreed upon on September 26, 1833. Extra agreements were added the next day. After the treaty was agreed to, the commissioners gave medals to several Native chiefs. For the next few days, they looked at claims against the Native Americans and checked financial records.

Who Signed the Treaty?

What Did the Treaty Say?

The treaty gave about 5 million acres of land to the United States government. The agreement stated that the Odawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi tribes would give up their lands in Illinois, Wisconsin Territory, and Michigan Territory.

In exchange, they would receive gifts, yearly payments, and have their debts paid off. They would also get a new piece of land of the same size in the Kansas Territory along the Missouri River. They had to move to this new land within three years.

The Potawatomi were the largest tribe among the three that signed the treaty. The total amount of money promised to the tribes was very large for a treaty of this kind. This treaty marked the giving up of the last huge area of Native American land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. It was a big step towards President Andrew Jackson's goal of moving Native Americans.

Making the Treaty Official and Carrying it Out

Commissioner of Indian Affairs Herring and Secretary of War Cass thought the treaty was a great success. Herring told Congress that the treaty was good because it meant the Native Americans would move quickly, with no land left behind.

Secretary Cass also told the president that Native Americans would be better off west of the Mississippi. He said they would be "comfortable and contented" there. He was also happy that the land east of the Mississippi was now "cleared" of Native American claims.

Concerns About the Treaty

Even with these positive comments, the treaty faced strong opposition in the United States Senate. One reason was that soon after the agreement was made, there were questions about how money was handled. Some people believed that certain individuals involved in the negotiations might have tried to benefit themselves unfairly.

For example, there were concerns that Governor Porter had shown favor to two families, the Kinzies and the Forsyths. Members of these families were set to receive a lot of money from the treaty. It looked suspicious that each Kinzie family member received almost the same amount. Also, these families had a near-monopoly on providing goods for the treaty meetings, making a large profit. Many government officials also stayed at the Kinzie home during the talks and paid them well. Governor Porter tried to explain that there was no wrongdoing.

President Jackson's Role

President Jackson found Porter's explanations satisfactory. He sent the treaty to the United States Senate on January 10, 1834, asking them to approve it. To address the concerns, Jackson suggested sending an agent to Chicago to investigate. The Senate sent the treaty to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. After looking into the objections, the committee decided there was no need to stop the treaty's approval. On April 2, 1834, the committee sent its report to the full Senate.

On October 1, 1834, some changes to the treaty were suggested. Finally, on February 21, 1835, the Senate approved the treaty. President Jackson signed it that same day, making it official.

Funding and Moving the Tribes

On March 3, 1835, the government approved the money for the treaty. Over $1 million was set aside for the grants promised by the treaty. More money was approved to cover the costs of the negotiations and for fifty Potawatomi representatives to explore the new land west of the Mississippi.

Following the treaty, the U.S. government began moving the Native American tribes from their lands east of the Mississippi. Since the treaty was approved in 1835, the tribes had to leave by 1838.

A Final Act of Defiance

On August 31, 1835, about 500 Native American warriors gathered in Chicago. They were in full traditional dress and carried tomahawks. They performed dramatic war dances in front of Chicago residents. This was a powerful act of defiance before their forced removal. It was the last recorded war dance in the Chicago area.

Some Native Americans moved to northern Wisconsin instead of going west of the Mississippi. For many years, only the Potawatomi who moved to Kansas received the yearly payments from the U.S. government. However, in 1913, the U.S. government corrected this and paid the Wisconsin Potawatomi a large sum of money.