Essay Sample on The Canandaigua Treaty

Introduction

A treaty or treaties refer to protocols or agreements under international laws, made by two or more than two countries, also known as the sovereign states. In some countries, a treaty is known as an international covenant, an international convention, and many others. Irrespective of the terminology, this kind of agreement belongs to the international law and the rules applied are the same in every country (Wallensteen, Melander & Hogbladh 2012). A treaty is decided into either bilateral or multilateral treaty. Bilateral treaty involves an agreement of two countries while multilateral treaty involves an agreement of more than two countries. All these agreements must be under international law. It is important to understand treaties between tribes such as the Treaty of Canandaigua, in terms of its effects on the tribes that made them.

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The treaty of Canandaigua is one of the first treaties that signed between the Native American Nations and the U.S. The treaty was signed in the year 1794 between two parties known as the federal government and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which was based in New York. The deal or the treaty secured ally for the U.S government especially the young after the revolutionary war, which returned more than a million acres to the Haudenosaunee (Deloria & Wilkins 2010). The agreement was the U.S to provide the Haudenosaunee with goods worth $4,500 annually among the goods were the bolts of cloths, which were to be distributed to the tribal citizens. According to the Haudenosaunee, clothes were more important compared to money since the treaty indicated the provision of clothes and not money (Wallensteen, Melander & Hogbladh 2012). According to Harjo, many American Indians who were staying in California suffered without treaty protection. She explained that not only were the American Indians forced to leave their lands, but were also murdered during the Gold Rush and erased from the history. The treaty of Canandaigua arose as a result of geopolitical tension aftermath of the American revolutionary war (Deloria & Wilkins 2010). Due to the fact that England original rights concerning the territory were unclear and that they were forced to relinquish the east part of their land to the U.S, England was forced to give the land back to Haudenosaunee, who was the initial owner of the land. After the Haudenosaunee agreed and gave the U.S the land in the Ohio Valley by England, the U.S was faced by the threat of another revolutionary war. In order for the U.S to avoid another war, it decided to seek to define the solid boundary on its western side (Wallensteen, Melander & Hogbladh 2012). They also realized that there should be peace between them and Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Several attempts of treaties were made by the U.S to make peace with Haudenosaunee, but they failed since the treaties kept creating tension between the two communities. However, in the year 1794, both two communities were able to come to an agreement through a treaty that was addressing various issues that were affecting them (DeRouen et al. 2010).

Peace and friendship between the young government of the United States and the six nations are one of the impacts that the treaty achieved. Despite the tensions that existed between the two countries such as war, they managed to have peace between them and be friends through the use of treaty (Wallensteen, Melander & Hogbladh 2012). The article one of the treaty initiated perpetual peace and friendship between the tribes. Apart from peace and friendship between the united states and the six nations, the treaty affirmed Haudenosaunee lands rights by restoring the lost land to the six nations. The land had been ceded by the Fort Stanwix treaty, but the Canandaigua treaty helped the six-nation to retrieve their lands in the western New York. Again, the treaty helped the six nations to establish their boundaries by the Gorham and Phelps purchase of 1788. The issue of land and boundaries was in the article of the treaty (Deloria & Wilkins 2010). Although the chain of friendship between the tribes has sometimes violated by either of the tribes, the treaty has never been broken and still treaty as one of the important agreement by both tribes (Wallensteen, Melander & Hogbladh 2012). Both the six nation's governments and the United States governments still actively recognize the treaty. The treaty also affirmed the sovereignty of the six nations to be the tribe to set the laws as individual nations.

Another impact of Canandaigua treaty was the European-style agriculture that the U.S agreed to teach the six nations. The aftermath of the treaty included Pickering appointing the Quakes to teach the Haudenosaunee Confederacy a new method of agriculture known as European-style agriculture. The agriculture involves the use of ploughs, hoes, and axes. All these equipment were supplied by the united stated to Haudenosaunee o enable to carry out the new style introduced to them. According to Robert w. Venables (DeRouen et al. 2010). From the moment the treaty was made official, it has been the keystones that govern the relationship between the six countries and the U.S. The treaty has been the center or the pillar that guides the six nation's land claim together with the rights that help them govern their own reservations. Other impacts that the treaty brought between the Haudenosaunee and the United States include Haudenosaunee being able to define their territories, which help them in monitoring avoiding war over the territories, which are not clear to them (Wallensteen, Melander & Hogbladh 2012). Another impact would be the involvement of a third party if the perpetual peace and friendship between the U.S and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy were to be disbursed. Both the parties agreed that should that happens then, the conflict that may arise between them would be resolved peacefully by a third party.

One of the important treaties in world history that can be compared to the Canandaigua treaty is the one of the year 1726, which was made between Great Britain and Wabanaki to resolve the war that led to the death of many members of the tribe. It was in that year when the official signing of the treaty was done to stop the war and the death of people (Deloria 2010). This was just one of the many treaties that Great Britain had with the communities they interacted with after the year 1713 such as the Maliseet, the Mi'kmaq, and the Passamaquoddy. One similarity among the treaties is that they were initiated to bring peace and friendship. After peace was ensured, exchanges happened, and other engagements such as intermarriages became possible (Deloria 2010).

Conclusion

In summary, treaty or treaties can be defined as a form of agreement that two parties use to avoid. Treaties and contracts can be compared since both of them are examples of willing parties with the same obligations and need a partnership. Therefore, both parties must live according to the rules and the obligations because consequence may be applied if one of the parties decides to go astray. In making a treaty, both parties must agree that any party who does not follow the obligation of the treaty must be held liable under international law. Treaties such as the one between Great Britain and Wabanaki were made to bring peace. This is characteristic of many treaties including the Canandaigua one.

References

Deloria Jr, V. (2010). Behind the trail of broken treaties: An Indian declaration of independence. University of Texas Press.

Deloria Jr, V., & Wilkins, D. E. (2010). Tribes, treaties, and constitutional tribulations. University of Texas Press.

DeRouen Jr, K., Ferguson, M. J., Norton, S., Park, Y. H., Lea, J., & Streat-Bartlett, A. (2010). Civil war peace agreement implementation and state capacity. Journal of Peace Research, 47(3), 333-346.

Wallensteen, P., Melander, E., & Hogbladh, S. (2012). Peace agreements, justice and durable peace. Rethinking Peacebuilding. The Quest for Just Peace in the Middle East and the Western Balkans. London: Routledge, 125-139.