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Difficulty: MediumSocial Impact and the Influence of Revolutionary Ideals

Mohawk leader Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) in a speech to British officials, 1786:

'We were struck with astonishment at hearing that we were excluded from the treaty [of Paris]... we could not believe it possible that those with whom we had fought and bled... should so far forget us as to leave us to the mercy of our enemies, and cede our lands to them, without our consent or knowledge.'

Which of the following historical developments in the post-Revolutionary era best explains the grievances expressed in the excerpt?

  1. The British government ceded trans-Appalachian territories to the United States without acknowledging the land rights or sovereignty of its Native American allies.Answer
  2. B
    The Articles of Confederation government successfully barred individual states from negotiating their own land treaties with Native American groups.
  3. C
    The Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties focused their foreign policy debates on whether to grant full citizenship to Native American tribes.
  4. D
    The British Parliament established the Proclamation Line of 1763 to shield their Native American allies from American settler encroachment.

Answer

The British government ceded trans-Appalachian territories to the United States without acknowledging the land rights or sovereignty of its Native American allies.
The correct answer is correct because the Treaty of Paris (1783) ended the American Revolution by ceding British territorial claims east of the Mississippi to the United States. It made no mention of the Native American tribes residing there, effectively leaving British allies to negotiate with or resist the U.S. government on their own.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to identify the speaker, the context, and the central grievance.
The speaker is Mohawk leader Joseph Brant, protesting that Native Americans were excluded from the Treaty of Paris (1783) and that Great Britain ceded their lands to the United States without their consent.
Understanding the historical context and the core issue of Native American land rights after the Revolutionary War is necessary to evaluate the options.
2
Evaluate the historical developments in the post-Revolutionary era that align with this grievance.
The 1783 Treaty of Paris formally ended the war between Great Britain and the U.S. and transferred British claims east of the Mississippi to the U.S., ignoring Native American alliances and sovereignty.
This directly connects the primary source's complaint to the correct historical event.
3
Eliminate distractors by identifying chronological, conceptual, or factional historical errors.
The Proclamation of 1763 was pre-revolutionary; the Articles of Confederation were weak and could not prevent states from making separate treaties; and early party debates did not focus on Native American citizenship.
Ensures that only the correct historical interpretation remains.

Key Concept

The impact of the American Revolution and the Treaty of Paris (1783) on Native Americans
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Social Impact and the Influence of Revolutionary Ideals

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