Treaty of Canandaigua
Canandaigua, New York, USA
What happened
Timothy Pickering, for President George Washington, signed with about fifty leaders of the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations), including Red Jacket. After the American Revolution, the new United States and the Six Nations needed to settle peace and land. At Canandaigua they agreed to 'perpetual peace and friendship'. The United States promised not to claim or disturb the lands of the Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca, and to send goods worth $4,500 every year.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The treaty is still honoured today. Every year the United States delivers cloth to the Haudenosaunee as the treaty promised.
What came next
The US government did not protect all the promised lands, and much was lost over the next century. The treaty remains central to Haudenosaunee land claims and self-government.
Did you know?
The Haudenosaunee see treaties as needing regular renewal, which they call 'brightening the chain of friendship'.
Timeline
- 11 November 1794The Treaty of Canandaigua is signed.
- 2 January 1795The US Senate receives the treaty.
- Every yearThe annual cloth payment continues.