Treaty of Brownstown facts for kids
The Treaty of Brownstown was an important agreement made between the United States government and several Native American tribes. These tribes included the Council of Three Fires (the Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi), the Wyandott, and the Shawanoese. This treaty was signed on November 25, 1808. It took place in a town called Brownstown, which was then part of the Michigan Territory. The main goal of the treaty was for the Native American tribes to give up a strip of their land. This land was needed to build a road. The road would connect areas in Michigan and Ohio that the United States already owned.
Why Was This Treaty Needed?
Before the Treaty of Brownstown, other agreements had changed land ownership. In 1795, the Treaty of Greenville meant Native American tribes gave up land in southern and eastern Ohio. Later, in 1805, the Treaty of Fort Industry moved the border even further west in Ohio. Then, in 1807, the Treaty of Detroit involved giving up land in what is now Michigan.
However, there was still a gap. A piece of land between the Maumee River and the 1805 border remained Native American land. This meant the United States could not legally build a road to connect its settlements in Ohio and Michigan. This area was also very swampy. Building a road through it would be difficult and expensive. So, a new treaty was needed to get this specific strip of land for the road.
What the Treaty Said
The Treaty of Brownstown had five main parts, called articles. One important part of the treaty was about the land for the road. It said that the Native American tribes would give the United States a narrow strip of land. This strip was for a road that would be about 120 feet wide. The road would run from the rapids of the Maumee River to the western border of the Connecticut Reserve. The treaty also included all the land within one mile on either side of this new road. This land was then used to build the important road connecting the two areas.
