Treaty with the Delawares
9/17/1778
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This is the first treaty between the United States and an Indian Nation. It set a precedent: the United States would deal with Native Nations as it did with other sovereign countries, through written treaties.
By the time of the Revolutionary War, the Delaware, or Lenape, had been driven west from their original homelands in present-day southeastern New York and eastern Pennsylvania. Led by Chief White Eyes, they used their strategic location between Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh) and British-held Detroit to force treaty concessions from the United States. The Lenape agreed to guide American troops across their land. In return, the United States would allow them to form a territory that could become a 14th state.
White Eyes was murdered while carrying out his part of the treaty, and the Continental Congress never ratified it. None of its promises were ever fulfilled.
By the time of the Revolutionary War, the Delaware, or Lenape, had been driven west from their original homelands in present-day southeastern New York and eastern Pennsylvania. Led by Chief White Eyes, they used their strategic location between Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh) and British-held Detroit to force treaty concessions from the United States. The Lenape agreed to guide American troops across their land. In return, the United States would allow them to form a territory that could become a 14th state.
White Eyes was murdered while carrying out his part of the treaty, and the Continental Congress never ratified it. None of its promises were ever fulfilled.
This primary source comes from the General Records of the United States Government.
Full Citation: Treaty with the Delawares at Fort Pitt; 9/17/1778; RIT #8; Indian Treaties, 1789 - 1869; General Records of the United States Government, Record Group 11; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/treaty-delawares, June 19, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
