Kate+Langdon+Iroquois+Confederacy

Name: Kate Langdon Country: Joseph Brant Committee: Iroquois Confederacy High School: Arundel High School Date: 4 January 2012

Topic 1: The American Revolution, the Choosing of Sides

Once a peaceful and isolated indigenous population, the native tribes of America have been uprooted by the arrival and exploration of the Europeans. Since then, the Native Americans have established diplomatic ties with the British, who have attempted to colonize the east coast of their land. In the interests of protecting Native American lands, peoples, and customs, several Indian groups declared positions of neutrality towards all encroaching Europeans and the squabbles amongst them; however, as the tensions that will inevitably culminate in the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War between the colonists and the British Crown have heightened, so have those among the members of the Iroquois Confederacy. An alliance of six Indian nations, the Confederacy has proven itself to be both a valuable asset and a burdensome obstacle to both the colonists and the British. Until now, the Iroquois Confederacy has skillfully maintained a precarious diplomatic balance between the two sides, but, in light of the gravity of the impending revolution, the time for the choosing of sides is nigh. The six nations must promptly come to a consensus as to their status in the war after analyzing the possible ramifications of any sort of coalition or estrangement.

Prior to the 1450s, the various Native American tribes were at odds amongst themselves, despite their common culture and language. The legendary Huron Deganawida managed to quell this violence by spreading his message of righteousness and peace. Together, he and his disciple, Hiawatha, founded the Iroquois Confederacy, a union of the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora tribes that was committed to harmonic and cooperative living. As the highly profitable French fur trade in North America flourished, the Iroquois adapted to the advanced military styles and economic mindsets of the Europeans. The British soon appeared in this North American theater; in an effort to protect their affairs and economic opportunities, the French began claiming territories in the Ohio Valley and allying with the Algonquins. Conversely, the Iroquois were not so compliant. They decided to sign the Treaty of Easton in 1758, pledging their support of British dominance, in the hopes of saving their tribal lands and culture; as if this incentive was not enough, these Indians further despised the French because they had murdered an honorable Seneca member and antagonized the tribe. As is a common theme in Native American history, this neutrality gave way to involvement on the behalf of England in the French and Indian War, which concluded with a British victory after French Montreal's fall in 1760. Unfortunately, the British did not return any lands to the Indians, thereby voiding their covenant. The Indians launched a form of retaliation, Pontiac's War, leading to the ambiguous Proclamation of 1763 that forbade colonists from any further western expansion into Native American territory; later, this document was revised to the Negotiation of Fort Stanwix, an agreement that established clearer territory boundaries and bestowed a kindly financial compensation to the Indians. Poor enforcement of these terms increased anxiety levels, forcing some tribes into fighting for the British in King George's War, in an attempt to solidify their alliance. Shortly thereafter, the colonists made real their threats of separation with the Crown. The Iroquois Confederacy, at first, declared their position of neutrality in the exclusive conflict between the England and the rebel colonists, but, as the imminent war approaches, Native leaders have acknowledged the need to commit to a more steadfast stance.

I, Joseph Brant, am a devout Loyalist, dedicated to the survival of the British Crown. Even as an adolescent, I faithfully fought against the deceitful French for the survival of England. The silver medal awarded to me for my efforts in the French and Indian War was only one of my recognized achievements. My close consort, Sir William Johnson, appointed me as War Chief, furthering my career as a spokesperson and interpreter for the Royal government. I have seen the treachery of these colonists. How could we possibly trust such insurgent and avaricious rebels, who are willing to brutally shed the blood and reject the care extended to them by their British brethren? The very notion of any sort of affiliation with these renegades is abhorrent and traitorous. Never once have they endeavored to come to the aid of our people; rather, they lust for our lands, without the slightest bit of respect or consideration for indigenous populations. They view our colored skin as being subordinate to their own white pigment, and they possess a keen, unjustifiable sense of entitlement and superiority. On the other hand, our British companions have been the only defense between the colonists and our nation. Our allies understood and acted upon our fears by declaring the Proclamation of 1763, when the colonists flooded onto our lands; our allies have treated us with mercy and guarded our tribes; our allies have compensated us for our troubles, as in the Negotiation of Fort Stanwix. No such humanity has been directed to any Indian from the colonists. Our conflicts with outsiders have arisen from their disobedience to their very own motherland. The colonists have betrayed us, not the English. Our wild neighbors do not bear the integrity, strength, discipline, or weapons necessary to combat their ancestors. This brewing war has no future, as they cannot possibly defeat, let alone mar, such a superior nation as England. To defect from England would be a mistake on our part, just as this war is a mistake on the part of the colonists. The Iroquois Confederation must voice its total approval of the Crown immediately; a failure to do so would, most likely, result in the embittering of our crucial relations. By ignoring our one and only advocate in their time of crisis, we run the risk of disinheriting their support forevermore. The buffer between the colonists and our nation would cease to exist. Worse still, the British, after their inevitable victory, could seize our lands, if they perceived our neutrality as hostility.

This noble Confederacy must rally for the British. We must unleash our abundant support for this nation in the revolution. The valiant men of our society will hear, and respond, to the call to combat. No negotiations with the colonists are permissible. Our community will be no more if the agreement to fight is not unanimous. Any dissenting tribes will be rejected from the Confederacy and treated as if they were colonists. After all, colonist sympathizers are of no value to our community. We will battle alongside the English at whatever cost. The colonists have determined their own dismal fate by belligerently rejecting our traditionally peaceful mannerisms, leaving our Confederacy with no remissible choice but to fight. Their success is the biggest threat to our nation, and, likewise, to England. We must pour all of our energies into this war, to remind the British of our worth. Only then will we have a chance of firmly securing our land and culture. The violence will be grueling, and we must go on the offensive, destroying the materials, villages, and militias of the colonists through incessant raids. Lives will be lost, but our troops will be nobly sacrificing their souls for the paramount protection of our people's past, present, and future.

I am very much looking forward to this assembly of the Confederacy, as quite a few attendees share my sentiments, including: John Butler, Walter Butler, King Hendrick, Guy Johnson, Sir John Johnson, William Johnson, Kaintwakon, and Sayenqueraghta, all of whom are trustworthy men whose loyalties lie with mine. I believe this meeting will foster intelligent debate, which will change the course of Native American history; at this convention of great leaders, the fate of not only our own personal attitudes, but the fates of our families, our homelands, our culture, and our allied nation of England, will be decided. War is no topic to be raised lightly, but the Indian population has suffered far too long to isolate itself from this pivotal event.