American Expansion Policy Further Reading American Expansion Policy: An American Perspective

A First Nations Perspective Before the arrival of Europeans in North America, the First Nations lived in relative harmony with the land. These peoples fed, clothed, and lodged themselves with nature's bounty, and in return they paid great respect to the spirits which inhabited the natural world. They considered the land as a gift from the Great Spirit which should be shared by all people. After the American Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the United States began to grow rapidly. The U.S. government encouraged First Nations to sell their traditional hunting grounds in order to make way for the land-hungry white settlers. Governors of several American territories launched aggressive campaigns to persuade certain nations to sell their lands. When this failed, they sanctioned militant efforts to force Natives out. For instance, William Henry Harrison, the Governor of the territory of Indiana settled seven treaties between 1802 and 1805 with First Nations living in the southern part of Indiana, portions of Wisconsin, Missouri, and most of Illinois. The nations were deceived into ceding their land for two cents an acre or less! In theory, land treaties were legitimate legal documents. Native tribes received goods or a sum of money in exchange for a parcel of land. However, these "exchanges" often caused significant grief and misunderstanding among the native people who did not truly understand the legal ramifications of private property. The treaties were also, often negotiated under duress. In some cases, native leaders were bribed, annuities from former treaties were threatened, or the negotiators were "mellowed" with alcohol. As American settlers converted the wilderness into farmland, they exacerbated native peoples' problems by driving away the animals necessary for their food, clothing and fur trade. When the once independent First Nations were reduced to dire poverty, it became even easier to pressure them to sell their land.