Question

The coming of the war between England and her colonies brought new problems and concerns to the Six Nation Confederacy. They did not fully understand why the English were quarreling with one another, and had no desire to be drawn into what they perceived as a civil war.

This neutral course could not be maintained for long however, as pressure increased from both England and the 13 States. The English particularly were insistent that the Confederacy fulfill its obligations as allies of England. In the end, the civil war aspects of the American Revolution spilled over into the Six Nations. Unable to agree on a unified course of action, the Confederacy split, with not only nation fighting nation, but individuals within each nation taking different sides. Due to the old alliances and a belief that they stood a better chance of keeping their lands under the English, the majority of the nations supported England in some form or another. Only the Oneida and Tuscarora gave major support to the Americans.
The Confederacy members supporting the English, such as Joseph and Molly Brant, helped their allies launch numerous devastating raids throughout the war on the frontier settlements of New York and Pennsylvania. The Oneida and Tuscarora gave valuable service to the Americans as scouts and guides, and even supplied men to the Continental Army for a short time. Both sides raided and destroyed each other’s villages.
The Treaty of Paris brought the war to an end in 1783. In this treaty however, neither the English nor the Americans had made provisions for their Six Nations allies. The Confederacy was forced to sign a separate treaty with the United States in 1784. This treaty was negotiated and signed at the ruinous Fort Stanwix, and resulted in the English-allied Confederacy members giving up significant amounts of their traditional lands; in the end it was no more binding than the 1768 treaty had been. The Oneida and Tuscarora would receive little in the way of compensation for their support of the United States.
The end of the Revolutionary War brought peace, but no victory, to the Haudenosaunee of either side. The war left their confederacy and culture shattered, and their lands and villages devastated and destroyed. While time and fortune has helped, many wounds from that time have yet to heal.
1. Which side did they support?

A) British (Loyalists)
B) Continental (Patriots)
C) Neutral
2. What were the goals of the First Nation in choosing sides?
3. How does this compare with the considerations of Loyalists or Patriots?

Answer 1

During the American Revolution, the Six Nation Confederacy split with some tribes supporting the British (Loyalists) and others supporting the American Patriots. The goals of the tribes varied, with some tribes seeking to preserve their lands under British rule and others seeking to protect their ancestral lands and seek independence. The Native American tribes' considerations were different from those of Loyalists and Patriots, as they were primarily focused on land and cultural autonomy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Six Nation Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, split during the American Revolution in terms of which side they supported. The Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca, and Onondaga tribes sided with the British, while the Oneida and Tuscarora tribes supported the American Patriots.

The goals of the tribes in choosing sides varied. The tribes supporting the British believed that they stood a better chance of preserving their lands and maintaining their way of life under British rule and alliances. On the other hand, the tribes supporting the Americans may have been motivated by a desire to protect their ancestral lands and seek independence from British rule.

This differs from the considerations of Loyalists and Patriots in that the Native American tribes were primarily concerned with protecting their lands and cultural autonomy, rather than the political and economic grievances that motivated Loyalists and Patriots.