Treaty of Mississinewa

The treaty arose from the U.S. policy of Indian removal, driven by white settlement pressure and the desire for land in the Wabash River valley. Governor Lewis Cass, a leading architect of removal, and John Tipton, an Indian agent, represented the United States. The negotiations took place at the Mississinewa River in present-day Grant County, Indiana, and were marked by the use of bribes and threats to secure tribal consent. The Miami, Potawatomi, and Wea were weakened by previous treaties and internal divisions, making them vulnerable to U.S. pressure.

The treaty ceded a vast territory bounded by the Wabash River, the Miami (Maumee) River, and the St. Marys River, encompassing about 1.4 million acres. This included the future site of Indianapolis, which was later platted as the state capital. In exchange, the tribes received an annuity of $31,000 over 20 years, plus smaller payments for individual chiefs and mixed-blood individuals. The treaty also established reservations for the Miami, including the Forks of the Wabash, but these were later eroded by subsequent agreements.¹

The treaty was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1827, and the land was opened to white settlement, accelerating the removal of Native peoples. The Miami, who had been the dominant tribe in Indiana, were forced to cede more land in 1838 and 1840, leading to their eventual removal to Kansas in 1846. The Potawatomi faced the infamous Trail of Death in 1838, a forced march that resulted in numerous deaths. The treaty's legacy is a symbol of broken promises and the devastating impact of U.S. expansion on indigenous communities.²

The treaty included a provision for a Catholic mission at the Forks of the Wabash, which was established in 1834 and later became a school. The treaty also granted a section of land to the chief Jean Baptiste Richardville, who became one of the wealthiest men in Indiana through land speculation. The treaty's negotiation site, now known as the Mississinewa Battlefield, was the location of a skirmish during the War of 1812, adding a layer of historical irony. Additionally, the treaty's boundaries were surveyed by a young Abraham Lincoln, who later became president.³

Annuity

A fixed sum of money paid to a person or group annually, often as part of a treaty agreement.

Cession

The formal giving up of rights, property, or territory, especially by a treaty.

Indian removal

The U.S. government policy of forcibly relocating Native American tribes from their ancestral lands to areas west of the Mississippi River.