"With this belt [we] bind your Hearts and minds with ours": Diplomacy and Conflict in the Ohio River Valley, 1783-1793

In the aftermath of the American Revolution, the Old Northwest became a hotly contested borderland. The United States and Great Britain both laid claim to a series of posts in the region. Historical work done in this arena has tended to favor a nationalist narrative--that is to say, the perspective has been decidedly British or American. What has been less apparent in the discourse is the role played by the Native American peoples as they vied to retain their lands. The Ohio Indian Confederacy, the largest pan-Indian movement in the history of North America, has been viewed primarily as allies of the Great Powers. Their unlikely and unexpected emergence drastically changed the political dynamics on the ground for the competing western powers. Rather than simply reacting to the diplomacy of those powers, the Ohio Indian Confederacy was engaged in internal struggles over which course of action to take. Ultimately, it was these internal dynamics, not outside pressures, that brought about the dissolution of the alliance. The confederacy had not suffered defeat at the hands of the United States but had split along regional lines: each pursuing their own best interests.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Toledo

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Power, Justin M.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ingham, Cynthia

• History
• Simcoe
• Brant
• McKee
• Girty
• Knox
• Diplomacy
• Treaty

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1364900187

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:toledo1364900187