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Primary sourceDocument9 December 1809

Treaty with Kickapoo Indians, Vincennes, December 9, 1809 (page 1)

U.S. Government · 9 December 1809

Page 1 of a treaty between the United States and the Kickapoo Tribe, made at Vincennes on 9 December 1809 under Harrison's governorship.

Shows Harrison's governing role in Indiana Territory through a land treaty with the Kickapoo negotiated under him.

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Handwritten treaty document on aged yellowed paper titled 'A Treaty Between the United States of America and the Kickapoo Tribe of Indians', with signatures, marks, and pink seals at the bottom.
Treaty with Kickapoo Indians, Vincennes, 9 December 1809, page 1. U.S. Government. Scan of handwritten document.

About this source

What it is

This is page 1 of a treaty made at Vincennes on 9 December 1809, titled A Treaty Between the United States of America and the Kickapoo Tribe of Indians. The catalogue record names the U.S. Government as its creator. The image shows a handwritten document on aged, yellowed paper. Signatures, marks and pink seals appear at the bottom of the page.

Why it matters

The catalogue describes this as a primary land-cession document negotiated under Harrison's governorship of Indiana Territory. Treaties of this kind transferred land from Native nations to the United States, and they were central to the territory's expansion. The Kickapoo are named in the title as the signing nation. Marks beside some names show that not every signer wrote a full signature, which invites students to ask who was recorded and how.

Look closer

  • What do the signatures and marks at the bottom suggest about the people who signed?
  • Why might the title name the nations and the United States in such a formal way?
  • What might this agreement have meant for the Kickapoo community, and where would you look to find out?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of William Henry Harrison on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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