George Washington's relations with the Iroquois Confederacy
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George Washington met several times with Native American tribal leaders throughout his life as both a British and Colonial diplomat in the Ohio River Valley. Washington was first assigned as a British diplomat to the Iroquois Confederacy during the French and Indian War in 1753. In the inter-war period, Washington met with several Native Tribes in the Ohio River Valley in 1770. Both during and after the Revolution, Washington and his cabinet met several times with native tribal leaders to discuss the ongoing hostilities between colonial settlers and Native American Territories. These events would help Washington influence early Native American policy in the face of territorial wars and genocides.
The Ohio River Valley area follows the Ohio River and extends through the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. During the French and Indian War, this area was claimed territory by France, England, and a large confederation of Native Tribes known as the Iroquois Confederacy. The tensions there would escalate into a full-blown war in 1754.
During the Revolutionary War, this area was the front of Patriot conflicts with the Iroquois Confederacy and their British allies. At this time, an “Iroquois Civil War” occurred, with the Seneca and Mohawk Indians allying with the British and the Oneida, Tuscarora, and Delaware tribes allying with the Patriots.