Treaty of Fort McIntosh facts for kids
The Treaty of Fort McIntosh was an important agreement signed between the United States government and several Native American nations. These nations included the Wyandot, Delaware, Chippewa, and Ottawa peoples. The treaty was signed on January 21, 1785, at Fort McIntosh, which is now Beaver, Pennsylvania. It had 10 main parts, called articles, plus an extra section.
Why Was This Treaty Needed?
After an earlier agreement called the Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784), the United States wanted to make more treaties. In the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, the Seneca nation had given up their land claims in a part of the Ohio Country. The U.S. government then wanted to make a new treaty with other tribes who also claimed land in the Ohio Country.
The United States sent a group of diplomats to talk with the Native American leaders. These diplomats included George Rogers Clark, Richard Butler, and Arthur Lee. In January 1785, both sides met at Fort McIntosh. This fort was located where the Ohio and Beaver Rivers meet. It is important to know that many of the Native American leaders who signed this treaty did not have full permission from their nations to make such big decisions.
What Land Did the Treaty Cover?
The Treaty of Fort McIntosh created a large area of land set aside for Native American tribes. This type of area is sometimes called an "Indian reservation." The borders of this land were clearly defined:
- To the east, the land was bordered by the Cuyahoga and Muskingum rivers.
- To the south, a line ran between Fort Laurens and Fort Pickawillany (near Piqua).
- To the west, the borders were the Great Miami River and St. Mary's River.
- To the north, the land was bordered by the Maumee River and Lake Erie.
This area covered about one-third of what is now the state of Ohio, mostly in the northwest. It also included a part of eastern Indiana that stretched to Kekionga (which later became Fort Wayne). The areas outside these borders, especially in eastern and southern Ohio, were given to the United States. The tribes also gave up control of the land around Fort Detroit and Fort Michilimackinac to the United States. They also agreed to return any people they had captured during raids along the frontier.
What Happened After the Treaty?
Many tribes in the Ohio Country did not agree with the Treaty of Fort McIntosh. The Shawnee tribe, for example, lost all their lands in southwestern Ohio because of it. Because of this treaty, many Native American nations formed a group called the Western Confederacy later that same year.
Both settlers and Native Americans started moving into the areas near the new border lines. This led to more conflict and eventually to a major war known as the Northwest Indian War. After this war ended, a very similar treaty line was drawn in the Treaty of Greenville. The only main difference was the part of the line that went into Indiana.
