Library Guides: Indigenous Peoples in Pennsylvania History: Government Documents and Treaties

Pennsylvania Land Cessions and Treaties

Deed between William Penn and the Delaware Indians (1682)
Deed between William Penn and the Delaware Indians, July 15, 1682. This deed granted William Penn the land between the Delaware River and Neshaminy Creek
Treaty of Shackamaxon (1682)
According to tradition, William Penn met with the Lenni Lenape Indians in late 1682 and promised eternal friendship. This agreement was not preserved in any surviving historical documents. (Encyclopedia of Philaelphia)
Walking Purchase 1737
Scan of original document at the Pennsylvania Historical Museum and Commission and a transcription of the text.
A Treaty held with the Seneca Indians at Philadelphia the 1st July 1749
The Albany Congress, and Treaty of 1754
Proceedings of the Colonial Congress held at Albany, June 19, 1754.
Royal Proclamation of 1763
Issued by King George III on October 7, 1763, the Proclamation forbade European settlement west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains.
Treaty of Fort Stanwix, 1768
Proceedings at a Treaty held by Sir William Johnson Baronet with the Six Nations, Shawanese, Delawares, Senecas of Ohio and other dependant Tribes, at Fort Stanwix in the months of October & November 1768, for the settlement of a Boundary Line between the Colonies and Indians, pursuant to His Majesty's orders
Treaty of Fort Stanwix 1784
Articles concluded at Fort Stanwix, or the twenty-second day of October, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-four, between Oliver Wolcott, Richard Butler, and Arthur Lee, Commissioners Plenipotentiary from the United States, in Congress assembled, on the one Part, and the Sachems and Warriors of the Six Nations, on the other.

The Published Pennsylvania Archives is a 138 volume set containing reprints of early documents. The set was issued in multiple series. The series is described in some detail here

Most volumes are available online in HathiTrust.

Federal Government Documents

Congressional This link opens in a new window
Includes full-texts of laws passed by Congress as well as debates and Congressional Hearings and reports. Includes some reports of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Congressional provides access to the best web resources for congressional and legislative information. This includes services available to Penn State Users only, such as Congressional Universe (1789-to date) as well as other free services that provide similar or related information such as Thomas (1993-to date) and GPO Access (1993-to date). The Guided Tour provides a step-by-step approach to congressional and legislative information for users who have never done research of this type before. Updates:Continuous
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Substantial collection of legal materials, including U.S. treaties and laws, tribal codes, and constitutions.
Hein Online is a full-text research collection offering more than 900 legal journals; federal publications such as the Federal Register, U.S. treaties and agreements, U.S. Supreme Court opinions, federal legislative histories, presidential documents; a collection of legal classics; and Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court competition materials.
Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new window
Family history records including census, land, birth, and death notices. Select the Card Catalog to browse records focused on Native Americans.
With more than 1.5 billion names in over 4,000 databases, Ancestry Library Edition includes records from the United States, UK, and Canadian censuses, beginning in the 18th and 19th century; military records; court, land and probate records; vital and church records; directories; passenger lists and more. These collections are continuously expanding, with new content added every business day.

US Government Treaties

The federal government entered into treaties with Indian tribes between 1778 and 1871. Most treaties between the United States and Indian tribes were compiled in volume 7 of United States Statutes at Large; some treaties are in volumes 1-16.

IDA Treaties Explorer
Treaties from the National Archives organized by place and tribe.
Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties
Seven volume compilation containing U.S. treaties, laws and executive orders pertaining to Native American Indian tribes. Volume II covers U.S. Government treaties with Native Americans from 1778-1883.
Kappler Revisited: an index and Bibliographic Guide to American Indian Treaties
An extensive print listing of treaties