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Knox, Henry (1750-1806) [Remarks on Treaty with the Creek Nation]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.09452 Author/Creator: Knox, Henry (1750-1806) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph document Date: circa 1790 Pagination: 3 p. ; 33.3 x 20.8 cm. Order a Copy

Discusses U.S. relations with the Creek Indians. States, "The treaty with the Creek nation of Indians is a new and honorable evidence of the vigilance and wisdom of the [executive] of the U.S." Mentions the Oconee River in Georgia and possibly refers to the Treaty of New York. This may have been a speech drafted by Knox. See GLC02437.09971 for related documents.

The Treaty of New York was signed in 1790 between Henry Knox as Secretary of War, and Alexander McGillivray, leader of the Creek people. In 1789, a treaty attempt between the U.S. and Creek Nation in Georgia had failed.

[draft]
The treaty with Creek nation of Indians is a new and honorable evidence of the vigilance and wisdom of the [struck: executive] [inserted: executive] [inserted and struck: President of] of the U.S. The issue of the unsuccess[ful] attempt to form a treaty [struck: [day]] [inserted: in] the last sept at the Oconee, placed the US [strikeout] in a [singuarly] [sic] critical situation Having entered in to the business they were bound to proceed, and in case of any [2] further depredations [inserted: by the creeks] a war must have inevitably ensued - While on the one hand such an event [inserted and struck: was to be avoided] [inserted: of [illegible]] from which neither honor or proffit could have been [struck: expected] [inserted: reaped] [inserted: was to be avoided if possible], so on the other the US were bound to protect [struck: its cit] their citizens from violence
In order therefore to prevent the former, and to establish the latter measures were devised and executed to induce the cheifs of the Creeks to repair to the [residence] of the General Government as the only means by which they could avoid the now impending [illegible] [illegible]
A treaty [struck: has been] [inserted: was] effected on [strikeout] just and humane principles [struck: calculate] [inserted: calculated] to attach the creeks firmly to the interests of the [3] United States.
The state of Georgia is secured in the possession of a tract of rich country nearly equal in extent to its former limits

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
McGillivray, Alexander, 1750-1793

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