COMPROMISING THEIR RIGHTS.

The article discusses treaties between the U.S. government and the Kickapoo nation. The Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812 required both the U.S. and British governments to pursue peaceful relations with Native American tribes. The author notes ways that the U.S. government purchased land from native tribes using treaties in which Indians compromised their land rights for financial gain. The 1819 Kickapoo treaty included a provision which provided the Kickapoo tribe with a tract of land in the Missouri Territory but limited their right to sell it. The U.S. Senate rewrote this provision to limit Kickapoo possession of the land to their occupation of it. The author suggests the U.S. government did not intend to honor its contractual obligations.