Documents of American Indian Diplomacy

Treaties, Agreements, and Conventions, 1775-1979

by Vine, Jr Deloria

Reproduced in this two-volume set are hundreds of treaties and agreements made by Indian nations -- with the Continental Congress; England, Spain, and other foreign countries; the ephemeral Republic of Texas and the Confederate States; railroad companies seeking rights-of-way across Indian land; and other Indian nations. Many of the treaties were made with the United States but either remained unratified by Congress or were rejected by the Indians themselves after the Senate amended them unacceptably. Many others are "agreements" made after the official end of U. S. treaty making in 1871.

With the help of chapter introductions that concisely set each type of treaty in its historical and political context, these documents and Vine Deloria's commentary effectively trace the evolution of American Indian diplomacy in the United States.

Documents of American Indian Diplomacy is the first major, accessible compilation of such documents since Charles Kappler's 1904 Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties. As a group, these documents provide the full historical context surrounding the ratified treaties and agreements, and they highlight American Indians' roles as active agents in international diplomatic affairs.

1536 pp — ©1999