The Chief Little Turtle’s Speech to President John Adams

The source for this essay is “Chief Little Turtle’s speech to the President of the United States John Adams,” concerning the suggestion for a land exchange. The origin of the document is John Carter Brown Library, and the text takes the form of a speech, having been created on 7th February 1798.[1] The purpose of the source was to explain the wishes and the feelings of the nine nations. It also highlighted the dissatisfaction of all the suggested parts of the land boundaries. Moreover, the article also outlined the restoration of the land to the Indians at the Great Miami as a replacement for the area situated between Ohio and Mississippi.

The article existed as an informative piece to the then United States president John Adams. The chances are that the president failed to attend the treaty and hence had to be briefed on the discussions that ensued. It was the order of the state delegates to inform the head of the state for the appropriate action to be taken. Also, the people present during the reading of the speech were not available for the treaty. The treaty was meant for the people in high positions in the then government. The article was as a formal procedure where the state delegates sent to represent a nation must report the findings of the treaty. The treaty was made to discuss the land issues that had befallen the United States to ensure that solutions reached to reduce possible disputes between nations. The article was to help in bringing in comfort zones for the indigenous and mitigate any inconveniences to the white settlers.[2]

The document was made at a time where there were land disputes in the United States. There were issues of white settlers marking land in which the United States had a reservation in that quarter of land. The value of the land was to be determined and be demarcated.[3]

It was the period where the part of the land in question had to be restored by the United States. This land had been purchased by the British and the French government and had to be reversed. At that time, there were land disputes where one nation’s land right had to be revoked for the interests of the powerful state. The land was supposed to bring in income for the government. This proposal was put in place as some countries would lend the land and be paying the rates. The rates were to be paid to the secretary of war of the United States, and it meant that the lending states could not fail in complying. 

The article argued on how the land was to be marked and lend out. This land would consequently bring in income and build bonds between the nations. There was the procedure in which a country would follow to acquire and maintain a particular piece of land. There was a secure mode of receiving allowances which were in the form of packages and were divided adequately. The process ensured that Indians would decree one person as a representative and have his stay in the land. This would ensure that the appointed person was contented in staying in the land. The nations were obligated to pay for the decreed persons for their stay. There was established trade in which goods and services would be exchanged, and this would boost the economy.[4]                                                                                                                           

The document was vital to the United States as it brought a broader perspective about their land. It provided the ideas on how their land would be reclaimed and converted into productive land. It helped in establishing ways of acquisition of land from the nations which did not bring forth any benefit. The document provided for means in which the Indians would acquire the land and be paying the rates. It showed how the process would boost the economy and raise the standards of the Indians living in that land. It was helpful in making people be watchful and be their brother’s keepers following the brutal murder of innocent Indians. It, however, made them more vigilant concerning their security. It pointed out about the worrying trend in which the population was reducing. This trend was associated with the illegal liquor that was sold by traders who did not mind the lives of the people or the generation to come.[5] The increase in settlement of outsiders was associated with bringing in evil practices and hence people were cautioned and advised to be vigilant. The document brought confidence to the Indians, and they believed that they were in safe hands of the United States.[6]

The document failed to address the procedure in which the British and French government would follow when the land they had bought was taken back by the United States. There was no clarity on why the land reforms just came without the consent of all the shareholders. The document did not provide for a grace period to the nations that had bought the land. It did not explain the safety of the Indians as there was already a risk of brutal deaths. There was no provision on what could have led to the young generation being lazy and crude.[7]The means in which the plows would be introduced for plowing was not discussed. There was no clarity of where the farm workers would come from. The issue of what the inhabitants of the United States would benefit from restoring land back was not addressed.

At the time the document was written, there were changes in the adjudication of land. There was a need to get back the land which was previously sold to other nations. This land was exchanged to the Indians who would bring land under irrigation and provide rates at the sale of the produce. There was a war in the United States which they wanted to end so that the nation could get stability. There was trading of goods and services which the country did not require. There was the killing of innocent Indians, and no security measures had been taken. The products and services sold were overpriced, and the inhabitants could afford no more. The population was diminishing at a high rate due to the consumption of harmful liquor which had destroyed many people. No one knew about using a plow to cultivate the land. There was a treaty of nine nations in discussing how they would exchange the land for productive purposes. There were land disputes between countries which had resulted in a war, and the United States was keen about the matter and wanted to bring to an end this era of war.

This was a sociological document concerned in the development, structure, and functioning of human society. There was the mechanism that was discussed in which people would fit in the society. There was a war which the nation wanted to end through the resolutions about the land in question. There was a concern of how the land would be exchanged and boundaries marked to show where one nation’s land reached. The low population was worrying, and measures were discussed of how the cause would be eliminated. The consumption of goods and services was very low, and the government was concerned about the prices. The brutal killing of innocent people was addressed to make the natives vigilant about their security.[8]

The document, however, did not highlight the culture of this nation. The way people related to the surrounding is not revealed. The general social life was not taken into much consideration including factors like prejudice and discrimination, wealth and poverty, crime and law, schools and religion setups, social movements and urban community.

Bibliography

Turtle, Chief Little. 1798.”Speech of the Little Turtle to the President of the United States John Adams regarding a proposal for exchange of land” Accessed November 7, 2018. http://wardepartmentpapers.org/docimage.php?id=25067&docColID=27503&page=1.

[1]

Turtle, Chief Little. 1798.”Speech of the Little Turtle to the President of the United States John Adams regarding a proposal for an exchange of land” Retrieved from http://wardepartmentpapers.org/docimage.php?id=25067&docColID=27503&page=1. Accessed on 6/11/2018

[2]

Ibid, n.p

[3]

Ibid, n.p.

[4]

Ibid, n.p.

[5]

Ibid, n.p.

[6]

Ibid, n.p.

[7]

Ibid, n.p.

[8]

Ibid, n.p.