Treaty of Fort Stanwix

Background. The British government hoped a new boundary line might end rampant frontier violence between Native Americans and American colonists, while Native Americans hoped a permanent line would prevent further encroachment on their lands. The British government had recently confirmed ownership of lands south and west of the Kanawha to the Cherokee by the Treaty of Hard Labour, providing context for the negotiations.

Negotiation and Signatories. The treaty was negotiated between Sir William Johnson, his deputy George Croghan, and representatives of the Haudenosaunee. The final treaty was signed on November 5 with one signatory for each of the Six Nations, in the presence of representatives from New Jersey, Virginia, and Pennsylvania as well as Johnson. Representatives of the Shawnee and Lenape, who primarily occupied the ceded lands, were present but not signatories.

Terms and Payment. The treaty established a Line of Property following the Ohio River that ceded the Kentucky portion of the Virginia Colony to the British Crown, as well as most of what is now West Virginia. It also settled land claims between the Six Nations and the Penn family, proprietors of Pennsylvania, where lands acquired in 1768 were known as the New Purchase. Native nations present received gifts and cash totaling £10,460 7s. 3d. sterling.

Aftermath. Rather than secure peace, the treaty helped set the stage for the next round of hostilities between Native Americans and American colonists along the Ohio River, culminating in Dunmore's War. The Treaty of Lochaber with the Cherokee followed in 1770, adjusting boundaries established by the Treaty of Hard Labour.