American Revolution: The Indians’ War
of Independence
By Colin G. Calloway, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, adapted b y
Newsela staff on 11.04.16
Word Count 625
TOP: An oil painting titled "Herkimer at the Battle of Oriskany." Courtesy of Wikipedia. MIDDLE: King George III's
Proclamation of 1763, (Gilder Lehrman Collection). BOTTOM: Map of Iroquois Six Nations. Photo: Courtesy of Wikipedia.
The Declaration of Independence is one of the country's most important documents. It
announced that the United States was its own nation. It also describes the part American
Indians played in the American Revolution against Britain.
The American Revolution was a war that took place from 1765 to 1783. The Americans
fought to be free from British rule.
The Declaration of Independence says Indians were on the wrong side of the fight for
liberty. While the Americans fought for their rights and freedoms, the Native Americans
fought against them alongside the British. This was the view of the nation's founding
fathers, including Thomas Jefferson.
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Indians fought for independence, too
In the late 1700s, most Indians did not want to take a side in the American Revolution.
However, most of them eventually sided with the British. For the Indians, the Americans
were more dangerous to their land and their way of life than the British. The American War
of Independence was an Indian war for independence as well.
By the early 1760s, the British declared that the Appalachian Mountains would divide
British settlement from Indian land. This started a chain of events that led to a revolution
and independence.
Tribes were forced to choose sides
When the Revolution broke out, Indian people knew their land was at stake. The British and
the Americans competed for the support of the Indian tribes. Most tribes did not want to
side with either the British or the Americans. This ended up not being possible for the
Indians, though.
One example is the Delaware Indian tribe. At first, the tribe did not want to support the
British. In fact, the Delaware chief, White Eyes, led his people in making the Treaty of Fort
Pitt in 1778. This was the first Indian treaty made by the new nation. The Delaware Indians
and the Americans agreed to be on the same side. But American soldiers killed White
Eyes, so the tribe instead joined sides with the British soldiers.
Agreement to end war didn't include tribes
In the East, the fighting between the British and the Americans ended in 1781, when the
British surrendered to Washington's army. By April 1783, Britain recognized the
independence of the United States at the Peace of Paris. This agreement gave British land
to the United States.
There were no American Indians at the Peace of Paris and Indians were not mentioned in
its terms. The tribes were furious when they learned that the British had given away their
lands.
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Americans justified attacks on tribal land, culture
Although the founding fathers struggled with how to deal honorably with Indian people,
taking Indian land was never in doubt. After the long war against Britain, the United States
government had no money. Its only wealth was the land the British had given them at the
Peace of Paris. This was Indian land. The government needed to sell the land to American
settlers to raise money for the country's future.
How could the Americans claim to deal honorably with Indian peoples at the same time as
they built their nation on Indian land? The Declaration of Independence provided some
justifications. It said that Indians had fought against American rights and freedoms, so they
could not expect to share those rights and freedoms. The United States must and would
take the Indians’ land. In return, the government would give these "savages" civilization,
and that was honorable enough.
For Native Americans, this was an attack on their lands and way of life. They fought back
as well as they could. Meanwhile, they tried to preserve what they could of Indian life in a
nation that was trying to destroy it.
Colin G. Calloway is a professor of history at Dartmouth College.
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Quiz
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Which sentence from the article is MOST important to include in its summary?
(A)
The Declaration of Independence is one of the country's most important
documents.
(B)
The American Revolution was a war that took place from 1765 to 1783.
(C)
The Declaration of Independence says Indians were on the wrong side of
the fight for liberty.
(D)
In fact, the Delaware chief, White Eyes, led his people in making the Treaty
of Fort Pitt in 1778.
Which detail BEST reflects the Native Americans' difficulty in choosing between the British and
Americans?
(A)
After the Revolutionary War, the United States needed money so it sold
Native American land.
(B)
In 1783, the British recognized the United States as a country at the Peace
of Paris, which did not include or mention Native Americans.
(C)
The Delaware Indian Tribe wanted to support the Americans, but after the
Americans killed their leader they supported the British.
(D)
The Declaration of Independence said that Indians had fought against
Americans, so they could not receive rights and freedoms.
What was the relationship between Native Americans and the British?
(A)
Native Americans always supported the British against the Americans
because the British respected their rights.
(B)
Many Native Americans supported the British because they were more
threatened by the Americans.
(C)
Many Native Americans opposed the British because the British did not
include them at the Peace of Paris.
(D)
Native Americans always opposed the British because they gave away their
land to the Americans in 1783.
What effect did the Peace of Paris have on the United States?
(A)
It gave the United States a great deal of British money.
(B)
It gave the United States British land in North America.
(C)
It recommended that the United States sell Indian land to settlers.
(D)
It caused the United States to compete for support from Native Americans.
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