1833 Treaty of Chicago

The 1833 Treaty of Chicago was an important agreement between the United States government and three Native American tribes: the Chippewa, Odawa, and Potawatomi. This treaty required these tribes to give up a large area of land—about 5 million acres—in Illinois and parts of what was then called the Michigan Territory, which included areas of modern-day Wisconsin and Minnesota. In exchange, the tribes were promised money and new land west of the Mississippi River.

This treaty was signed after the United States passed a law called the Indian Removal Act, which encouraged tribes to move from their homes in the eastern United States to areas farther west. The 1833 Treaty of Chicago was the second treaty with this name, following an earlier one in 1821, known as the 1821 Treaty of Chicago. It was part of a larger effort during that time to change where many Native American tribes lived.

Background

The 1833 Treaty of Chicago happened after the United States passed a law called the Indian Removal Act. This law made it so that when Native American tribes agreed to give up their land, they had to move west of the Mississippi River. In return, the United States promised to pay the tribes for their land, help them settle in new places, and take care of any debts they owed.

Some people were worried because there were rumors that Native Americans and settlers were fighting after the Black Hawk War in 1832. Many new settlers were moving to Illinois because it was easier to travel there after the Erie Canal opened. These settlers wanted the land that Native Americans lived on. Some leaders, like John Reynolds, told stories of problems between settlers and Native Americans, but others, like Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen, General Winfield Scott, and George Bryan Porter, said these stories were not true.

In 1833, leaders from the United States talked to the Potawatomi, Odawa, and Chippewa tribes about moving west. They tried to find land for the tribes to live on after they moved. However, the Native American leaders were not sure they wanted to leave their homes unless they could first see the new land. They wanted to make sure the new land would be just as good as the land they already had.

Negotiations

The United States government wanted to make a treaty with the Potawatomi, Odawa, Chippewa, and Kickapoo tribes. They chose Chicago, Illinois, as the place to talk because it was an important trading center and had a fort. On April 6, 1833, money was approved to pay for the meeting.

The meeting to talk about the treaty happened from September 10 to October 7, 1833. Many people came to Chicago to watch, including Native Americans, government workers, soldiers, and others. Even though the Native tribes did not want to give up their land, they knew the United States government would not accept "no" for an answer. So, they decided to negotiate a deal even though they preferred to stay where they were.

Signatories and witnesses

This section lists the people who signed the 1833 Treaty of Chicago.

The United States government was represented by officials such as George Bryan Porter, the governor of the Michigan Territory, and Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen, an Indian agent at Chicago.

The Native tribes—the Chippewa, Odawa, and Potawatomi—were represented by many leaders, including To-pen-e-bee, Sau-ko-noek, and Che-che-bin-quay (also known as Alexander Robinson).

There were also many witnesses to the treaty, including government officials, army officers, and community members. Some of these witnesses were William Lee D. Ewing, John F. Schermerhorn, and John H. Kinzie, among others.

Stipulations

The 1833 Treaty of Chicago was an agreement between the United States and the Odawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi tribes. In this treaty, the tribes gave up 5 million acres of land in Illinois, the Wisconsin Territory, and the Michigan Territory. In return, they received promises of money, gifts, and land west of the Mississippi River in the Kansas Territory along the Missouri River. The tribes were asked to move to this new land within three years. This treaty was important because it involved a large amount of land and was part of efforts to move Native American tribes to areas west of the Mississippi River.

Ratification and implementation

The 1833 Treaty of Chicago was seen as a success by leaders in the United States government. They believed it would help Native American tribes move west of the Mississippi River, away from their lands in Illinois and the Michigan Territory.

However, the treaty faced challenges. Some people accused those who helped make the treaty of unfair actions and wanting to profit from it. Despite these concerns, President Andrew Jackson sent the treaty to the United States Senate for approval in 1834. After reviewing the treaty, the Senate agreed to it in February 1835, and President Jackson signed it the same day.

By 1838, the tribes were required to leave their homes east of the Mississippi River. Some Native Americans performed a final war dance in Chicago before they had to go. Others moved to places like northern Wisconsin instead of going west. It took many years for all the tribes to receive the payments promised in the treaty.