Introduction
Since the arrival of the Europeans in the 17th century, all through the early republic’s era, treaties were critical tool in diplomacy between the colonial Pennsylvania and the native nations. Councils were formal affairs steeped in native diplomacy, particularly Iroquoian ceremonies 1 . The treaties evidently adopted the principle of armed neutrality in enabling the Iroquois to neutralize the belligerency of the New France and their Native Allies communication 2 . The Morning war & Beaver War in 1701, the peace of Montreal to around 1763, events that led up to the treaty and diplomacy in the years 1763-1776 and events in 1776-1786 played a critical role in the adoption of diplomacy program by the Iroquois allowing them to sustain their power in northeastern North America from the Grand Settlement of 1701 to the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
Morning & Beaver wars were so horrifying and atrocious but played a role in ensuring that the Iroquois adopt diplomacy strategy to live at peace with their neighbors. The war was between Iroquois Confederacy and French with their allied Indian tribes, such as Huron and Algonquins. Iroquois Confederacy, more particularly the Mohawk tribe, had already developed functional trading connections with the Dutch and dealt in with guns and beaver pelts 3 . They further desired to expand their exchange activities and at the same time acquire some new territories. History has shown that numerous bloody battles were experienced and ultimately led to the destruction of several tribes like Eries by the Iroquois League. The combatants in these wars were the French colonists and the Iroquois Confederacy a powerful confederation of the Native American Indians made up of five tribes which were Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Oneida. Therefore the wars aimed at gaining monopolization of fur trading later were referred to as the Beaver Wars 4 . Diplomacy and restoration policy was believed to be a product of collective needs, fortuitous situations, the product of necessity and even chance 5 . The Albany conference of 1722 anticipated the function of the Iroquois would act as the intercultural brokers in those wars that might have emerged. After the morning and beaver wars, there was so much destruction but with time, Iroquois understood their problems, needs and interests hence decided to address them accordingly through the use of diplomatic means armed neutrality which helped them to sustain their power in northeastern North America from the Grand Settlement of 1701 to the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
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The Great Peace of Montreal to around 1763 was one of the peace treaties that took place between the 40 First Nations of North America and the New France. The treaty was signed around the year 1701 by Louis-Hector de Callière, France’s governor together with 13 hundred representatives of 40 aboriginal nations 6 . Those French believed to be allied to the Algonquians and Hurons provided approximately 16 years of a peaceful relation and trade before the emergence of the war again. During this diplomatic event, several people were present among them including the Algonquian peoples, part of the Iroquois Confederacy and even the Huron peoples. In the year 1701, about 1,300 Indians from around 40 different tribes meeting at the Montreal and most of them were lifelong enemies but took the initiative to respond to the French governor’s call. There were also the most influential allies to France including Huron chief Kondiaronk of Michilimackinac. The primary goal of the event was to agree on creating peace among the Indians and French. The Governor considered the event as an achievement of 20 years of diplomacy 7 . A peace treaty was later signed that established that from that time onward, there would be no more wars between the Indians and the French. To affirm the treaty, about 38 nations signed including the Iroquois 8 . Therefore, the Iroquois promised to adopt armed neutrality as developed during the Great Peace of Montreal to counter future conflicts among the French and English colonists of New England thus allowing them to sustain their power in northeastern North America from the Grand Settlement.
The events that led up to the treaty and diplomacy in the years 1763-1776 greatly influenced the Iroquois to adopt diplomacy. On February 10, 1763, there was the Treaty of Paris which helped in ending the wars between the Indians and French, granting the Britain, control of the lands around the Mississippi River 9 . Pontiac's War Began in summer 1763 and Ottawa Indians were led by an Indian leader Pontiac to attack British forts around the Great Lake. The British prevailed forcing the Indians to fall back on peacemaking. The Stamp Act was passed around 1765, and it required that all colonists buy watermarked, taxed paper for use in newspaper and the legal documents 10 . The Virginia House of Burgesses went further to pass the Virginia Resolves in the year 1765 which denied the parliament the right to impose taxes on these colonies under the Stamp Act 11 . Revolution’s ideology was primarily founded on unuque ideas such as "no taxation without representation," then” no legislation without representation," that defined the colonies main wrangle with British regime 12 . The 1773 Stamp Act Congress later became the first ever pan-colonial convention of the political leaders that adopted the neutrality principle 13 . The revolution’s ideology and events of 1763-1776 made the Iroquois to adopt an armed neutrality aspect and the colonies and Britain began communicating and unifying thus enabling Iroquois to sustain their power in North America from the Grand Settlement.
The events that led up to the treaty or events that took place in 1776-1786 further played a critical role during the Iroquois diplomacy. Throughout the winter of 1775–1776, Continental Congress members advocated for their independence was their only course of action. During the early 1790s, Iroquois diplomacy enjoyed the revival as the new federal government of the United States asserted itself in the nation’s Indian affairs 14 . The ratification of the constitution in the year 1788, provided opportunities to establish the federal supremacy and around 1790, the Congress passed the India Trade and Intercourse Act that created a framework for the Federal Indian policy for the coming generation. It was stipulated that no purchases of any Indian land would be valid unless performed in a public treaty under the treaty of the US 15 . The concept of armed neutrality, allowed Iroquois to exchange with French and English in securing Iroquois from potential enemy attack. 16 17 . It further opened trade with some of the Western Indians thus preventing the Western tribes from carrying out possible invasion the Iroquois and at the same time acquires powerful allies against the white and Indian enemies 18 . The events between 1776 and1786 made the colonies to strictly follow a policy of armed neutrality towards the French and English and employed the use of the European powers to address their interests thus giving them an opportunity to sustain their power in North America from the Grand Settlement.
Conclusion
The views of the 17th century and the contemporary Iroquois are highly valuable when one tries to reconstruct a clear picture of the Native American past. The paper has critically analyzed Morning war & Beaver War in 1701 and the peace of Montreal to around 1763. Next, the essay has examined the events that led up to the treaty and diplomacy in the years 1763-1776 and those that took place in 1776-1786. Throughout the 17th and 18th century, the Iroquois played a vital diplomacy role throughout the region that facilitated trade and exchanges, sharing of culture and ending or preventing wars. Based on this analysis, it is evident that the diplomatic strategy adopted by the Iroquois enabled them to develop a symbiotic relationship with the French and English powers which played a critical role regarding sustaining their power in northeastern North America from the Grand Settlement of 1701 to the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Unlike the rest of Eastern Indians, Iroquois have been successful in retaining their tribal identity and most of their original lands.
Bibliography
Calloway, Colin G. First peoples: A documentary survey of American Indian history . Macmillan Higher Education, 2015.
Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.
1 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.
2 Calloway, Colin G. First peoples: A documentary survey of American Indian history . Macmillan Higher Education, 2015. (26)
3 Calloway, Colin G. First peoples: A documentary survey of American Indian history . Macmillan Higher Education, 2015.(28)
4 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.
5 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.
6 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.
7 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008. (68)
8 Calloway, Colin G. First peoples: A documentary survey of American Indian history . Macmillan Higher Education, 2015.(31)
9 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.(69)
10 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.
11 Calloway, Colin G. First peoples: A documentary survey of American Indian history . Macmillan Higher Education, 2015.
12 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.(136)
13 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.
? Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.
14 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008. (1790)
15 Calloway, Colin G. First peoples: A documentary survey of American Indian history . Macmillan Higher Education, 2015.(1790).
16 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008. (108)
17 Shannon, Timothy John. Iroquois diplomacy on the early American frontier . Penguin, 2008.
18 Calloway, Colin G. First peoples: A documentary survey of American Indian history . Macmillan Higher Education, 2015.
