Treaty of Mendota

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The Treaty of Mendota was a contract between the Government of the United States of America and the Mdewakanton - and Wahpekute strains of Dakota - and Sioux - Indians in today's states of Iowa and Minnesota , which on August 5, 1851 was signed. With this contract, the Dakota gave up much of their territory in Iowa and Minnesota and sold the land to the United States of America for $ 1,410,000. The contract was drawn up on the American side by Alexander Ramsey , the first governor of the newly created state of Minnesota. Another major player was Henry Hastings Sibley of the American Fur Company , to whom the Sioux owed a lot of money. On July 23, 1851, the Wahpeton and Sisseton groups had ceded territories to the United States with the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux . In total, the Indians gave up 24,000,000 acres (97,000 km²) of land. They only reserved two areas along the Minnesota , the Upper Sioux Agency and the Lower Sioux Agency . The United States Congress approved the treaty on June 23, 1852, with minor changes. These in turn were signed by 45 chiefs on September 4, 1852. After the signing of the treaties, large areas of southern Minnesota could be released for settlement by white settlers. The government sold an acre for $ 1.25. In the treaties it was agreed that the Indians should receive 3 cents per acre annually. But the contracts were not kept. In 1858, the reservations were made smaller by further contracts signed in Washington when Minnesota was accepted as a state in the United States. Missing payments led to the Sioux uprising in 1862 . After the uprising, the United States unilaterally terminated the treaties. The state of Minnesota set a bounty of $ 25 for each Indian scalp. The survivors of the uprising were deported to South Dakota and Nebraska .

Contract text

  • 1. Eternal friendship between the United States and the Med-ay-wa-kan-toan and Wah-pay-koo-tay Indian tribes of the Dakota.
  • 2. The Med-ay-wa-kan-toan and Wah-pay-koo-tay are giving up all of their land rights in Minnesota and Iowa.
  • 3. A reservation is established ten miles wide on either side of the Minnesota River. (This paragraph was later deleted)
  • 4. Paying the chiefs $ 220,000 to cover the cost of relocation. $ 1,160,000 is not paid out but is deposited into a United States account. The Indians receive 5% of this over a period of 50 years. Construction of warehouses, houses, farms, sawmills, and blacksmiths worth $ 30,000. Delivery of additional goods and services valued at $ 28,000. An additional annual payment of $ 30,000.
  • 5. Outstanding payments from contracts signed in the past (1837) are to be paid out in 1852.
  • 6. No alcohol sales in the ceded areas until Congress creates a new regulation.
  • 7. General final clause and the obligation to the President of the United States to enforce the terms of the treaty.

Consequences of the contract

The affected Indians were relocated to the reservation on the Minnesota River. They tried to give up their nomadic life and become sedentary farmers. But it didn't really work. Only a fraction of the payments promised and made reached those affected. The greatest profiteers were white traders. Of the $ 220,000, only $ 20,000 went to the Indians. Much was paid to the traders to settle debts. Due to corruption within the Bureau of Indian Affairs , only a fraction of the contractually agreed deliveries of goods and services reached the reservations. The Indians continued to live in poverty and starve. This led to the uprising of 1862.

Web links

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  1. ↑ Contract text in English
  2. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from May 6, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. The treaties with the Dakota were approved by Congress, with some changes, on June 23, 1852. Forty-five chiefs of the lower bands signed the treaty on September 4, 1852 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mnopedia.org
  3. ^ 1858 Land Cession Treaties with the Dakota
  4. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from May 6, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. The Wahpekute agreed to pay traders $ 90,000. The Mdewakanton paid $ 70,000 and were given $ 20,000 which was shared between seven chiefs. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mnopedia.org