“The King of Great Britain ceded to the United States what was not his to give... The Americans tell us that they have conquered us, and that our hunting grounds are theirs by right of war. But we were independent nations who fought for our own liberty, and we never signed away our sovereignty in the treaty at Paris. We demand that our boundaries be respected and that the United States negotiate with us as equals, not as conquered subjects.”
— Adapted from a speech by a leader of the Western Confederacy, 1786
Which of the following developments in the post-Revolutionary period most directly resulted from the conflict described in the excerpt?
- The United States government continued to assert sovereignty over western lands, leading to ongoing military conflicts with Native American confederacies.Answer
- BThe federal government under the Articles of Confederation was prohibited from negotiating treaties with sovereign Native American nations.
- CDemocratic-Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson advocated for the complete integration and citizenship of Native Americans into the new republic.
- DBritish Parliament imposed new colonial taxes on Native American fur traders to pay off imperial war debts.
Answer
The United States government continued to assert sovereignty over western lands, leading to ongoing military conflicts with Native American confederacies.
Following the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the British government ceded trans-Appalachian territories to the United States without consulting their Native American allies. The U.S. government asserted control over these lands by right of conquest, prompting Native American nations to organize resistance (such as the Western Confederacy), leading to major conflicts like the Northwest Indian War.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The social and territorial impact of Revolutionary ideals and borders on Native Americans