Reproduced in this two-volume set are hundreds of treaties and agreements made by Indian nations—with, among others, the Continental Congress; England, Spain, and other foreign countries; the Republic of Texas and the Confederate States; railroad companies seeking rights-of-way across Indian land; and other Indian nations. Many were made with the United States but either remained unratified by Congress or were rejected by the Indians themselves after the Senate amended them. Many others are “agreements” made after U.S. treaty making with Indian tribes officially ended in 1871.
These documents—augmented by chapter introductions that concisely set each type of treaty in its historical and political context—these documents effectively trace the evolution of American Indian diplomacy in the United States. This volume is the first major accessible compilation since Charles Kappler’s 1904 Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties. As a group, these documents highlight American Indians’ roles as active agents in international diplomatic affairs.
