Lenape, the 14th State? American Indian Treaties Reimagined

Hybrid Lecture

Lenape, the 14th State? American Indian Treaties Reimagined

Thursday, February 12, 6:00–7:00 pm, Advance registration recommended for in-person and online attendance

Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA

Speaker: Philip J. Deloria, Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History, Harvard University

During the American Revolution, representatives of the Continental Congress sought to forge alliances with Native nations through treaties, much as they did with European powers like France. This talk will examine the failure of these early diplomatic efforts, focusing on the treaties signed with the Maliseet in 1776 (Treaty of Watertown) and the Lenape in 1778 (Treaty of Fort Pitt). Philip Deloria will highlight notable provisions in these agreements—including their shift from Native diplomatic forms to legalistic ones—and consider how truly reciprocal and respected treaties with Native nations might have altered the very nature of the United States. The talk will invite an imaginative rethinking of the course of American history, a creative thought experiment that centers Indigenous land, diplomacy, and sovereignty.

Free admission. Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage starting at 5:00 pm. Presented by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture. This lecture is presented to mark the 250th Anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. 

Deloria photo by Garrett Vreeland; Treaty photo: NAID 176316992 

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