The relentless westward expansion of colonists, and later, the burgeoning United States, into the Ohio Valley and beyond, represents a complex and often tragic chapter in American history. This period was marked by the systematic displacement of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands, a narrative punctuated by treaties that often served as instruments of dispossession rather than agreements of mutual respect. The Fort Finney Treaty of 1786 stands as a stark example of this dynamic, a prelude to the conflicts that would engulf the Ohio Territory and shape the future of the region. This Fort Finney Treaty of 1786 was about land and the need of expansion.
The treaty, negotiated at Fort Finney, a military outpost constructed by the Americans at the mouth of the Great Miami River, aimed to establish a formal boundary between the Shawnee Nation and the United States. However, the circumstances surrounding the treaty, the negotiation process itself, and its ultimate consequences reveal a pattern of coercion, manipulation, and disregard for indigenous sovereignty that characterized much of the westward movement.
The Setting: Encroachment and Resistance
By the late 18th century, the Shawnee people, who had coalesced in the Ohio Valley around 1750 after periods of dispersal due to earlier conflicts, found themselves increasingly pressured by the relentless tide of American settlers. This encroachment was not merely a matter of physical proximity; it represented a fundamental clash of cultures, values, and land-use practices. The Americans, driven by a belief in Manifest Destiny and a desire for agricultural expansion, viewed the land as a resource to be exploited, while the Shawnee held a more holistic view of their relationship with the natural world.
Prior to their consolidation in the Ohio Valley, the Shawnee experienced a period of significant migration. Originally inhabiting areas further east, encounters with European colonists and involvement in conflicts like the Beaver Wars led to their dispersal. Some groups settled in the southeastern states of South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, while others moved north to Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. These migrations were driven by a combination of factors, including warfare, disease, and the search for more favorable living conditions. The arrival of William Penn’s colonists in Pennsylvania further disrupted the Shawnee, prompting many to return to the Ohio Valley.
The French and Indian War (1754-1763) had a limited direct impact on the Shawnee. However, the subsequent surge in westward expansion by colonists ignited a struggle for land that would define the Shawnee’s relationship with the United States. The Fort Finney Treaty of 1786 emerged from this context of escalating tensions and competing claims to territory.
The Players: Shawnee Leadership and American Commissioners
In January 1786, a delegation of approximately 230 Shawnee men and women, primarily from the Mekoche division of the tribe, embarked on a difficult journey to Fort Finney. Their leaders included prominent figures such as Moluntha, the head chief of the tribe; Kekewepelethy (Captain Johnny), a respected war chief; Aweecony, another prestigious war leader; and Nianimsica. Other key figures in the delegation included Wapachcawela, Red Pole (a relative of the renowned Shawnee warrior Blue Jacket), Nihipeewa, Nehinissica (a highly regarded younger chief), and Cawechile, the senior female civil chief. These individuals carried the heavy burden of representing their people in a negotiation fraught with uncertainty and the looming threat of further land loss.
Facing them were the American commissioners: Richard Butler, Samuel Parsons, and George Rogers Clark, a figure already notorious among the Shawnee for his military campaigns. These commissioners, representing the newly formed United States government, were tasked with securing American claims to the Ohio Valley and establishing a formal boundary with the Shawnee Nation.
The Negotiation: Coercion and Capitulation
The atmosphere surrounding the negotiations at Fort Finney was far from conducive to a fair and equitable agreement. The Americans adopted a belligerent stance, asserting that the Shawnee had been defeated and were therefore obligated to accept whatever terms the United States deemed appropriate. The Shawnee, for their part, were deeply divided on the issue of negotiating with the Americans. Some, like Captain Johnny, initially advocated for a united front with other tribes, refusing to negotiate without the consent of the entire Indian confederacy. However, the fear of isolation and the relentless pressure from the American commissioners ultimately led the Shawnee to the negotiating table.
According to accounts of the proceedings, the American commissioners were dismissive of Shawnee concerns and demands. When Captain Johnny asserted that the land belonged to the Shawnee, the commissioners reportedly responded with threats of war, emphasizing that the United States had defended the land with blood and would continue to protect it. Some accounts even suggest that the commissioners swept Indian wampum from the table and trampled it underfoot, a symbolic act of disrespect that signaled the Americans’ unwillingness to engage in meaningful dialogue.
Faced with such intimidation, the Shawnee chiefs ultimately capitulated, surrendering six hostages and affixing their marks to a treaty that ceded vast tracts of Shawnee land in southern and eastern Ohio. This decision was met with anger and disgust by many Shawnee warriors, who felt that their leaders had betrayed their people.
The Terms: Land Cession and American Sovereignty
The Fort Finney Treaty of 1786 consisted of seven articles that outlined the terms of the agreement between the United States and the Shawnee Nation.
- Article I stipulated that the Shawnee must immediately deliver three hostages to the United States, who would remain in American custody until all white and black prisoners taken during the war were returned.
- Article II required the Shawnee to acknowledge the United States as the sole and absolute sovereign of all territory ceded to them by the King of Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris in 1784.
- Article III addressed the issue of justice, stating that any Shawnee who committed murder or robbery against a U.S. citizen would be handed over to the nearest American post for punishment, and vice versa.
- Article IV obligated the Shawnee to inform the United States of any intention by other tribes to make war on American citizens. Failure to do so would result in the Shawnee being considered parties to the war.
- Article V declared that the United States granted peace to the Shawnee Nation and received them into their friendship and protection.
- Article VI was the most significant in terms of land cession. The United States allotted the Shawnee lands within their territory to live and hunt upon, defining the boundaries of this territory. In return, the Shawnee relinquished all title to lands east, west, and south of the described lines.
- Article VII stated that any U.S. citizen who presumed to settle on the lands allotted to the Shawnee by the treaty would be put out of the protection of the United States.
The Aftermath: Disavowal and Continued Conflict
The Fort Finney Treaty of 1786 was immediately controversial and widely disavowed by the Shawnee people. Many felt that their leaders had been coerced into signing the treaty without proper authorization, and that the treaty violated the principle of collective land ownership agreed upon by the Shawnee and other tribes. The treaty exacerbated existing divisions within the Shawnee Nation, pitting those who favored peace with the Americans against those who advocated for resistance.
Moluntha’s reputation suffered as a result of the treaty, while Captain Johnny, who had initially stood up to the American commissioners, gained prestige among the Shawnee. In the years following the treaty, the Shawnee continued to resist American expansion, leading to further conflicts and ultimately the War of 1812.
The treaty of Fort Finney Treaty of 1786 ultimately failed to achieve its intended purpose of establishing a lasting peace between the United States and the Shawnee Nation. It served instead as a catalyst for further conflict and a symbol of the injustices inflicted upon Native American tribes during the westward expansion of the United States. This Fort Finney Treaty of 1786 has a place in the histoy of broken treaties.
