Treaties

From the founding of the United States, the federal government entered into treaties with Native nations. The very first treaty was signed in 1778 with the Delaware Nation, setting a precedent that would continue for nearly a century. These agreements were framed as binding commitments between sovereign nations, intended to secure peace, form alliances, and define boundaries. In exchange for land and cooperation, Native nations were promised protection, education, health care, and secure homelands. On paper, these treaties carried the full weight of U.S. law, equal in authority to any federal statute under the Constitution. In reality, however, they became symbols of broken promises.

Between 1778 and 1871, nearly 375 treaties were signed between the United States and Native peoples. Approximately 370 of these treaties were ratified by Congress, while others were signed but never approved, leaving tribes dispossessed and uncompensated. Not a single treaty, however, was fully upheld. Time and again, the U.S. government either failed to deliver on its promises or actively violated the agreements when expansion, profit, or political convenience demanded it. Even as Native nations ceded vast tracts of land, they were rarely granted the permanent homelands or reliable support that had been promised.

The consequences of these broken treaties were devastating. Native nations lost more than 99% of their ancestral lands. Entire communities were uprooted through forced removals, such as the Trail of Tears, where thousands died during marches to unfamiliar and inhospitable territories. Promises of food, supplies, and health care were underfunded or withheld, resulting in starvation and disease. Beyond physical losses, the repeated betrayal by the U.S. government inflicted generational trauma, eroding cultures, languages, and ways of life that had endured for centuries.

By 1871, Congress ended the practice of treaty-making altogether, declaring that Native nations would no longer be recognized as sovereign powers. Instead, tribes were treated as wards of the state, subject to federal control rather than partners in agreement. This shift not only stripped Native peoples of legal recognition but also cemented a legacy of mistrust. The very agreements meant to guarantee peace and coexistence became lasting reminders of injustice and dishonor.

Yet treaties remain important today, not just as historical documents but as living legal commitments. Under the Constitution, treaties are still the law of the land, and Native nations continue to fight for their enforcement in courts. More broadly, this history carries a lesson that extends beyond Native communities: the breaking of promises, whether by a government, an institution, or an individual creates deep wounds that last for generations. The opposite is also true: when we honor our word, we build trust, respect, and the foundation for healing.

Remembering the history of broken treaties is not simply an act of looking backward. It is a call to integrity today. If a nation that prided itself on freedom and justice could cause such harm through broken promises, then we must ask ourselves what it means to live differently. To keep our word in our families, our communities, and our commitments to others, is not only to avoid the mistakes of the past but also to build a future rooted in trust, dignity, and hope.