Everett report facts for kids

The Everett Report was a special study from 1922 about land owned by Native American tribes in New York State. This report was put together by a group called the New York State Legislative Commission, also known as the Everett Commission. It was led by a politician named Edward A. Everett. The report found that the Iroquois people had unfairly lost more than six million acres of their land in New York. However, the state government kept the report secret for a long time. It was finally made public in 1971.

Why Was the Everett Commission Formed?

In March 1919, a meeting was held in Syracuse, New York, to discuss how to make life better for Native Americans in the state. People at the meeting asked the New York State Legislature (the state's law-making body) to take action.

Around the same time, in March 1920, a court decision was made. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that New York State could not take land from Native tribes like the Oneida people. The Oneida are a founding nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. The court said that these tribes were recognized by the federal government, so taking their land would need federal approval.

After this court decision, the New York State Assembly wanted to make it clearer what New York State's role was compared to the federal government's role in Native American matters.

What Was the Commission's Goal?

The New York State Assembly created the New York State Legislative Commission, or Everett Commission. Its main job was to study "the history, the affairs and transactions had by the people of the state of New York with the Indian tribes resident in the state." They also had to report on "the status of the American Indian residing in said state of New York."

The commission also had to investigate Laura Cornelius "Minnie" Kellogg. She was a member of the Oneida tribe who strongly supported the Iroquois' right to own their own land.

The commission was led by Edward A. Everett. Other members included the state's top lawyer, three state senators, five assemblymen, and people from different state departments. An important member was David R. Hill, an Iroquois chief.

How Did the Investigation Work?

The investigation started in August 1920. Edward Everett and his team traveled all over New York State. They visited all of New York's Iroquois reservations. They also went to the Six Nations of the Grand River reservation in Ontario, Canada.

Everett wanted to visit the reservations again, but the state legislature said no. They also didn't give money for Native Americans to travel to Albany for meetings. A key person in the commission was Lulu G. Stillman. She was a stenographer (someone who writes down spoken words quickly) and a researcher. Many historians believe that the report was mostly written by Lulu Stillman.

What Did the Report Say?

The Everett Report was finished in early 1922. On February 24, Everett shared a preview of his report at the New York State Capitol. About 31 people, both Native Americans and non-Natives, were there. The full report was sent to the assembly on April 22. It was 420 pages long.

The report concluded that:

the Indians of the State of New York are entitled to all of the territory ceded to them by the treaty made with the Colonial Government prior to the Revolutionary War, relative to the territory that should be ceded to the Indians for their loyalty to said colonies and by the treaty of 1784 by which said promise by the colonists was consummated by the new Republic known as the United States of America and in a speech by General [George] Washington to the conference of Indians comprising the Six Nations and recognizing the Indians as a Nation.

In simpler terms, the report said that the Iroquois had a legal right to about 6 million acres of land in New York. This right came from treaties signed in the late 1700s, especially the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix.

However, only Everett signed the report. The assembly rejected it, and it was not widely printed or shared. The United States Federal Government also did not take any action and "misfiled" their copy.

What Happened After the Report?

Even though the report was rejected, some Iroquois people, like Minnie Kellogg, became even more active in fighting for their land rights. The report itself was "buried" by the legislature. It was only released to the public in 1971 because Lulu Stillman, the researcher, had kept a copy.

Clinton Rickard, a chief of the Tuscarora people, wrote in his book that he followed Everett's work closely. He was at the February preview and thought the report was "highly favorable to the Six Nations." He believed it was a "great wrong" that the legislature rejected it for being "too favorable to Indian claims."

In 1927, a class action lawsuit (a lawsuit brought by a group of people) was filed by a Mohawk man named James Deere. He sued a power company and others who occupied a piece of land. However, the case was dismissed.

In 1988, historian Laurence M. Hauptman wrote that Native Americans in New York often mention the Everett Report and how it was kept secret. They use it as proof that New York State worked against justice for Native peoples. He also wrote that, except for the Everett Report, Native land claims were not taken seriously by New York politicians until 1974.