Treaty of Washington, with Menominee (1831) facts for kids

The Treaty of Washington (1831) was an important agreement between the Menominee people and the United States government. The Menominee are a Native American tribe. This treaty was first signed on February 8, 1831, in Washington, D.C..

In this agreement, the Menominee gave up a huge amount of their land. This land was about 2.5 million acres (10,000 km² or 3,900 sq mi) in Wisconsin. Most of it was near Lake Michigan.

Later, the United States Senate changed the treaty. They added more land for the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe. The Menominee tribe did not agree to these changes. So, the treaty was talked about again and signed on October 27, 1832. Both of these agreements are usually called the Treaty of Washington.

How the First Treaty Started

The idea for the first treaty came from Colonel Samuel C. Stambaugh. He was an "Indian agent" in Green Bay. An Indian agent was a government official who worked with Native American tribes.

The main Menominee Chief was Oshkosh. He did not go to the treaty talks. He believed that if he wasn't there, the tribe wouldn't have to follow the treaty. Another important chief, Iometah, signed the treaty for the Menominee. The United States was represented by John H. Eaton. He was the Secretary of War.

The talks finished on February 8, 1831. The Menominee gave up about 2.5 million acres (10,000 km² or 3,900 sq mi) of land. In return, they received clothing, supplies, and yearly payments. These payments added up to about US$92,000. Also, about 500,000 acres (2,000 km² or 780 sq mi) were to be given to the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe. For this, the Menominee were to be paid an extra US$20,000.

In the winter of 1831, a group of Native Americans went to Washington. This group included Oneida chief Daniel Bread. They wanted to protest the treaty. They felt it did not protect the interests of the Oneida people. President Andrew Jackson agreed to change the land assignments for the Oneida.

Approving and Changing the Treaty

In June 1832, the United States Senate approved the treaty. This is called "ratification." But the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe was not happy with the treaty. They asked senators from New York to change it.

The Senate made changes to the treaty. George B. Porter, the Governor of the Michigan Territory, was told to get the Menominee tribe to agree to these changes. The Menominee tribe refused to agree.

Because of this, a new treaty was negotiated. It was signed on October 27, 1832. After the changes were agreed upon by both tribes and the United States, the treaty was sent to the Senate again. It was approved in 1833. Both of these agreements together are known as the "Treaty of Washington."