Treaty with Kaskaskia Indians, Vincennes, August 13, 1803 (page 4)

What it is

This is page 4 of a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians, signed at Vincennes on 13 August 1803. The record names the U.S. Government as its creator. The image is a scan of a handwritten treaty page on aged, yellowed paper, with a color calibration strip above it. Several red wax seals and handwritten signatures appear at the bottom, under a bold header at the top.

Why it matters

The catalogue describes this as a land cession document signed under Harrison's governorship of Indiana Territory. Such treaties recorded the transfer of land from Native nations to the United States, and they shaped the growth of the territory. The Kaskaskia are named in the title as one of the nations that signed. Signatures and seals show who agreed to the terms and how the agreement was made official.

Look closer

• Whose signatures and seals appear at the bottom, and what might their presence show about who agreed?
• What is the bold header at the top telling readers about this page?
• What might this page not show about how the terms were discussed or understood?