Primary sourceDocument1 December 1803

Report of the Secretary of State on an Indiana Petition

James Madison · 1 December 1803

An official report by Madison as Secretary of State examining a land petition from settlers in the Indiana Territory.

Written by Madison in his role as Secretary of State, showing his administrative work on frontier land disputes.

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Source: Wikisource

About this source

What it is

A government report written by James Madison as U.S. Secretary of State, submitted to Congress on 1 December 1803, responding to a petition from inhabitants of Post St. Vincennes in the Indiana Territory.

Why it matters

The petitioners claimed a huge tract of land along the Wabash River based on grants from Indigenous peoples. Madison's report shows how the early federal government processed competing land claims tied to Indigenous treaties and settler expansion, work he carried out as a senior cabinet officer under President Jefferson.

Look closer

What does Madison's choice of words like "pretend to derive" suggest about how he judged the settlers' claim?
Whose voices are missing from this report about land that Indigenous peoples once held?
Why would Congress need the Secretary of State to examine a local land petition?

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