Treaty of Fort Harmar
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Fort Harmar was an agreement between the United States
government and numerous Native American
tribes with claims to the Ohio Country
. it was signed at Fort Harmar
, near present-day Marietta, Ohio
, on January 9, 1789. Representatives of the Six Nations
and other groups including the Wyandot, Delaware
, Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatomi
and Sauk met with Arthur St. Clair
, the governor of the Northwest Territory
, and other American leaders such as Josiah Harmar
and Richard Butler
.
The treaty was supposed to address issues left over from the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix
and the 1785 Treaty of Fort McIntosh
; however, the new agreement did little more than reiterate the terms of those two previous documents with a few minor changes. The document failed to address the most important grievances of the tribes, the settlement of New England
ers in the Firelands
portions of the Western Reserve, an area that extended into the territory set aside for the tribes. Governor Arthur St. Clair had been authorized by Congress and Secretary of War
Henry Knox
to offer back some lands reserved for American settlement in exchange for the disputed Firelands of the Western Reserve. St. Clair however refused to give up these lands and instead, through threats and bribery, negotiated a treaty that simply reiterated the terms of previous treaties. Furthermore, several tribes such as the Shawnee
were excluded from the negotiations. The Shawnee refused to abide by the treaty. The new treaty did almost nothing to stop the rash of violence along the frontier. The failure of the treaty led to an escalation of the Northwest Indian War
that would continue for another six years until the tribal alliance was defeated at the Battle of Fallen Timbers
. As the Treaty of Greenville
in 1795, the tribes were forced to give up claims to most of what is now the state of Ohio
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government and numerous Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes with claims to the Ohio Country
Ohio Country
The Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
. it was signed at Fort Harmar
Fort Harmar
Fort Harmar was an early United States frontier military fort, built in pentagonal shape during 1785 at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers, on the west side of the mouth of the Muskingum River. It was built under the orders of Josiah Harmar and took his name...
, near present-day Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
, on January 9, 1789. Representatives of the Six Nations
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
and other groups including the Wyandot, Delaware
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
, Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
and Sauk met with Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair was an American soldier and politician. Born in Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office...
, the governor of the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
, and other American leaders such as Josiah Harmar
Josiah Harmar
Josiah Harmar was an officer in the United States Army during the American Revolution and the Northwest Indian War. He was the senior officer in the Army for seven years....
and Richard Butler
Richard Butler (general)
Richard Butler was an officer in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, who later died fighting American Indians in Ohio.-Early life:...
.
The treaty was supposed to address issues left over from the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix
Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784)
The Treaty of Fort Stanwix was a treaty signed in October 1784 at Fort Stanwix, located in present-day Rome, New York, between the United States and Native Americans...
and the 1785 Treaty of Fort McIntosh
Treaty of Fort McIntosh
The Treaty of Fort McIntosh was a treaty between the United States government and representatives of the Wyandotte, Delaware, Chippewa and Ottawa nations of Native Americans...
; however, the new agreement did little more than reiterate the terms of those two previous documents with a few minor changes. The document failed to address the most important grievances of the tribes, the settlement of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
ers in the Firelands
Firelands
The Firelands or Sufferers' Lands tract was located at the western end of the Connecticut Western Reserve in what is now the U.S. state of Ohio...
portions of the Western Reserve, an area that extended into the territory set aside for the tribes. Governor Arthur St. Clair had been authorized by Congress and Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
Henry Knox
Henry Knox
Henry Knox was a military officer of the Continental Army and later the United States Army, and also served as the first United States Secretary of War....
to offer back some lands reserved for American settlement in exchange for the disputed Firelands of the Western Reserve. St. Clair however refused to give up these lands and instead, through threats and bribery, negotiated a treaty that simply reiterated the terms of previous treaties. Furthermore, several tribes such as the Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
were excluded from the negotiations. The Shawnee refused to abide by the treaty. The new treaty did almost nothing to stop the rash of violence along the frontier. The failure of the treaty led to an escalation of the Northwest Indian War
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War , also known as Little Turtle's War and by various other names, was a war fought between the United States and a confederation of numerous American Indian tribes for control of the Northwest Territory...
that would continue for another six years until the tribal alliance was defeated at the Battle of Fallen Timbers
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The Battle of Fallen Timbers was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between American Indian tribes affiliated with the Western Confederacy and the United States for control of the Northwest Territory...
. As the Treaty of Greenville
Treaty of Greenville
The Treaty of Greenville was signed at Fort Greenville , on August 3, 1795, between a coalition of Native Americans & Frontiers men, known as the Western Confederacy, and the United States following the Native American loss at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. It put an end to the Northwest Indian War...
in 1795, the tribes were forced to give up claims to most of what is now the state of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.