Treaty of Johnstown

Background. Sir William Johnson moved to the Province of New York to manage his uncle Sir Peter Warren's estate in Mohawk territory, learned the Mohawk language and customs, and was appointed British agent to the Iroquois. In January 1756 the British government made him sole Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the northern colonies.

Diplomatic Context. Johnson had earlier negotiated a treaty with Pontiac in 1766 ending that war, and in 1764 held a treaty council at Fort Niagara with about 2,000 American Indians, mostly Iroquois, working to return the Seneca to the Covenant Chain alliance. These earlier treaties preceded the 1768 negotiations.

The 1768 Treaty. The supplied passages state that Johnson negotiated the details of the boundary defined in the Fort Stanwix Treaty of 1768. They do not name Johnstown as the treaty site, give a day or month, or mention Cherokee participation, so those legacy details cannot be confirmed.

Aftermath and Legacy. The treaties gave favorable terms to the Iroquois and produced decades of comparative peace between Native residents and new settlers, though many Native Americans lost land without their knowledge. Johnson's tenure is remembered for comparatively peaceful co-existence between Anglo-Americans and Native groups.