(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Indians 101: American Indians and the creation of Washington Territory in 1853 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-31 In 1846, the United States acquired jurisdiction over the Oregon territory (which included present-day Oregon and Washington, as well as parts of Idaho and Montana) when a treaty with Great Britain set the boundary between the United States and Canada at 49°. Indian nations were not consulted about the new boundary. International law recognized that Indians held title to their land, but sovereignty was granted to the European nations -- England and the United States, in this case -- because of the “right of discovery” which states that Christian nations have the right to govern non-Christian nations. In 1853, Oregon Territory was broken into two territories: Washington and Oregon. In his book The Nez Perce Indians and the Opening of the Northwest, historian Alvin Josephy writes: “The Indian tribes that still held title to most of the land within both territories played no role in the considerations or decisions that involved their country, and the new line, as an example, cut directly across the homeland of the Nez Perces, dividing jurisdiction over the area between the governments of Washington and Oregon.” Congress also authorized commissions to purchase lands from the northwest tribes and to remove the Indians from these lands. The Indian Treaty Act of 1853 envisioned a removal similar to that of the southeastern tribes in which the Indians would be given lands not wanted by American settlers. President Millard Fillmore appointed Isaac I. Stevens as the territorial governor of Washington. In addition, Stevens held the position of Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the territory. Stevens began an aggressive plan to deprive the Indian nations of title to their lands within the territory. Anthropologist Clifford Trafzer, in his preface to Indians, Superintendents, and Councils: Northwestern Indian Policy, 1850-1855, describes Stevens: “An ardent advocate of white expansion, Stevens wanted to liquidate Indian title to the land and concentrate as many Indians as possible on a few reservations.” In her book Empty Nets: Indians, Dams, and the Columbia River, historian Roberta Ulrich writes of Stevens: “His major mission was to compress the Indians onto as little land as possible, preferably in areas not coveted by whites, to open the way for settlement.” According to Clifford Trafzer and Richard Scheuerman, in their book Renegade Tribe: The Palouse Indians and the Invasion of the Inland Pacific Northwest: “Since his principal concern was the opening of Indian lands for the expansion of the American empire, Stevens devoted himself to extinguishing Indian title to the land.” Stevens had little experience in dealing with Indians. Clifford Trafzer and Richard Scheuerman write: “Stevens was a trained military man who knew nothing about Indians except what he had heard in lectures or read in books.” Stevens was a Jacksonian Democrat and a veteran of the Mexican War. Like many others in the American government, he viewed Indians as racially inferior and as impediments to the expansion of civilization. Clifford Trafzer and Richard Scheuerman write: “Stevens believed himself to be superior, and he assumed from the outset that whites had a right to direct Indian policy, thus determining their future—regardless of what the Indians thought.” In his book The Bitter Waters of Medicine Creek: A Tragic Clash Between White and Native America, Richard Kluger reports: “Casting himself as a white overlord of Olympian stature, Stevens could scarcely allow himself to make the acquaintance of Indians on an individual basis or to be exposed to their culture—familiarizing himself with them as not quite human beings would have made displacing them en mass all the more unpleasant process.” With regard to the Indians in the newly created territory, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs directed Stevens to consolidate Washington’s tribes—estimated to number 40 to 50—into just six or eight small reservations, thus freeing up more land for the American homesteaders. In addition to his other duties, Isaac Stevens was also the surveyor appointed to map a northern route for a proposed Pacific railway. In his book “Hang Them All” George Wright and the Plateau Indian War, Donald Cutler writes: “Few people questioned the obvious conflict inherent in his mandate to look out for the Indians’ best interests while also serving the interests of the railroad. The railroad wanted the land occupied by the tribes, and Stevens set out to move aside and consolidate on reservations any Indian tribes that might hinder his efforts.” A related problem faced by the new governor was the presence of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in the area. Richard Kluger reports: “The sooner the British left, American officials thought, the easier it would be to handle the natives and, without the Bay’s bolstering friendship and supplies, to pressure them into accepting treaty terms.” In 1825 HBC had established Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River. In 1860, HBC abandoned the Fort. In 1839, HBC had established Fort Nisqually to trade with the Southern Coast Salish Indians. In 1855, HBC sold its holdings to the United States government. More American Indian histories Indians 101: America's Christian General confronts the Nez Perce Indians 101: Manifest Destiny Begins Indians 101: The 1855 Walla Walla treaty council Indians 101: The 1863 Nez Perce treaty Indians 101: The fur trade in Washington Indians 101: The 1856 Battle of Seattle Indians 301: The Puget Sound War Indians 101: The Stevens Treaties in Washington Territory [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/31/2202536/-Indians-101-American-Indians-and-the-creation-of-Washington-Territory-in-1853?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/