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Difficulty: MediumWestward Migration, Frontier Conflicts, and Border Treaties

"Article 3. Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and, in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity, shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them."

— Northwest Ordinance, 1787

Which of the following historical developments in the 1790s most directly contradicted the policy toward Native Americans expressed in the excerpt?

  1. A
    Democratic-Republican proposals to forge a military alliance with France to assist Native American tribes in resisting British-backed frontier settlements.
  2. B
    The ratification of the United States Constitution, which abolished the Northwest Ordinance's provisions and returned Indian treaty-making powers to individual states.
  3. The federal government's military campaigns against the Western Confederacy, leading to forced land cessions in the Treaty of Greenville.Answer
  4. D
    The decision by the Confederation Congress to allow individual states to raise private armies to seize Native American lands without federal oversight.

Answer

The federal government's military campaigns against the Western Confederacy, leading to forced land cessions in the Treaty of Greenville.
The military campaigns against the Western Confederacy and the Treaty of Greenville directly contradicted the Northwest Ordinance's pledge to respect Native American land rights. Following defeats at the hands of the Western Confederacy, the federal government under the Constitution deployed a larger force led by General Anthony Wayne, defeating the Native American alliance at the Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794). The subsequent Treaty of Greenville (1795) forced the tribes to cede vast territories in the Ohio Valley to the United States, illustrating that the federal government prioritized westward territorial expansion over its treaty promises.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
The excerpt states that the U.S. government must observe the 'utmost good faith' toward Native Americans, and that their lands and property should never be taken without their consent except in 'just and lawful wars authorized by Congress.'
Understanding the stated policy of the Northwest Ordinance is the necessary first step to finding a historical development that directly contradicted it.
2
Identify the historical events of the 1790s related to Native American lands in the Northwest Territory.
In the 1790s, white settlers continued migrating into the Ohio Valley, leading to conflicts with the Western Confederacy of Native American tribes. After early defeats, the federal government sent General Anthony Wayne, who defeated the confederacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, leading to the Treaty of Greenville in 1795.
This step traces the actual historical developments in the region during the specified decade to compare them against the ordinance's goals.
3
Compare the outcome of these events with the principles stated in the Northwest Ordinance.
The Treaty of Greenville forced Native American tribes to cede most of their lands in present-day Ohio, which directly contradicted the promise that their lands would not be taken without their consent.
This establishes the logical link showing how the military campaigns and subsequent treaty violated the stated policy, confirming the correct answer.

Key Concept

The conflict between federal territorial expansion policies and relations with Native Americans in the early Republic.
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Topics

Westward Migration, Frontier Conflicts, and Border Treaties

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