Washington Territory and Treaty Making 1854-1889

Goals Learning Targets: Success Criteria: I can explain the concept of treaty making in Washington State. I can explain what led to the creation of Washington State. Success Criteria: I can explain the purpose, causes, and effects of treaty making in Washington State. I can explain the steps taken to get from Oregon Country to Washington State.

Essential Question (p.1 & 2) Why was the relationship between the Native Americans and the white settlers so tense?

Native American - White Relationship As more people came to the Northwest, tensions between Native Americans and settlers grew. Food, supplies, and land was decreasing for Native Americans. The Treaty of Oregon in 1846 (between Britain and the US over control of the area) gave the US government (and the settlers) more control of the land.

Native American - White Relationship Cultural differences caused major difficulties: Many settlers tried to convert Native Americans to Christianity, wanted them to farm differently, and wanted them to speak English. Native Americans wanted to keep their language, religion, customs, and lifestyle. Settlers valued land ownership. Native Americans didn’t believe in land ownership. Settlers altered the landscape as they developed the area. The alterations to the land greatly, and often negatively, impacted the Native American way of life, especially in regard to tribal boundaries and food supplies - the altered land changed migration patterns of many animals.

The Whitman Massacre The tensions between the Native Americans and white settlers in Washington State ultimately became violent. One of the most famous instances of violence was the Whitman Massacre of 1847. Dr. Whitman and his family settled in present-day Walla Walla, Washington. They came to the area as missionaries - their goal was to convert the Native Americans to Christianity. Dr. Whitman was blamed for a measles outbreak that killed many Native Americans. Dr. Whitman’s wife, Narcissa, was disliked by the Native Americans for her rude and disrespectful behavior toward them. Two native warriors led an attack on the Whitman’s and their community. The entire Whitman family was killed, along with 13 others from the community. In addition, 45 women and children were taken hostage.

The Whitman Massacre The American public was outraged by the news of the massacre and demanded immediate action. They wanted to see the Americans of Oregon Country protected and the natives punished. Because the area was not considered an official territory (after the Treaty of Oregon in 1846, Oregon did not become an official territory until 1848), the US government could not adhere to the public’s wishes. Tensions and violence continued in this area and the conflicts became officially known as the Indian Wars and lasted for 30 years.

Essential Question (p. 3) Why was Washington Territory created?

Washington Territory After the Whitman Massacre, the US government officially created the Oregon Territory, which included present-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and the western parts of Montana and Wyoming. The capital of this territory was first located in Oregon City then moved to Salem - both in present-day Oregon.

Washington Territory Life to the north of the Columbia River was very different from that to the south. The people to the north did not feel adequately represented in the decisions being made by those in the capital. In 1853, the people north of the Columbia River petitioned the federal government and became known as the Washington Territory. Isaac Stevens was appointed the first governor of the territory. One of the issues he needed to deal with was the continuing wars with the Native Americans.

Essential Questions (p. 4) What was the purpose of the Native American peace treaties? What caused the treaties to be created and what were the effects of the treaties?

Treaties To deal with these tensions, both Washington State and the US government began to create treaties with the Native Americans. US Treaties with Native Americans (overview)

Isaac Stevens’ Peace Treaties By 1855, Governor Isaac Stevens had negotiated 12 peace treaties with coastal tribes. These treaties limited the tribes’ hunting and fishing rights and forced the tribes to relocate to reservations. In 1855, Governor Stevens and Joel Palmer (the Indian agent for Washington Territory) requested that the plateau tribes also begin negotiations for peace treaties. Three treaties were signed, establishing three reservations and paid tribes cash as well as annual salaries for the chiefs. Many tribes were unhappy with these treaties. This sparked the beginning of the Yakima Wars.

The Yakima Wars The Yakima Wars lasted from 1855-1858. The plateau Native Americans fought against the US Army. These wars created so much danger for those living in the area that the federal government created a mandate ceasing all settlement of the area. An additional strain on the already violent conflict was the discovery of gold in eastern Washington, adding mining towns into the mix of battles.

Essential Questions (p. 5) How did Washington become a state? Why did it take so long?

The San Juan Dispute (The “Pig War”) In addition to the conflicts with the Native Americans of the area, tensions also began again with the British in 1859 over the San Juan Dispute. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 named the “main channel” as the boundary between US and British controlled land. The problem was that the “main channel” was not specifically defined. The San Juan Islands were under question of control. Depending on the definition of “main channel” the islands could be under the control of either country. This did not cause much of a problem until 1859 when an American citizen shot and killed a British citizen’s pig. When the two could not settle the dispute on their own, the question became which government would settle the issue in court. This led to a boundary dispute and ultimately a war that lasted until 1872 when it was finally decided that the US had control over the islands and the two countries created the current US-Canadian border.

Statehood There are several steps that must be followed in order to be granted statehood: A territory must have a population of more than 125,000. Once the population requirement was met, a constitution must be written. Once the constitution was written, the voters must approve it. Once the voters have approved the constitution, Congress must also review and approve it.

Washington’s Statehood It took Washington 36 years before it became a state. There were several reasons for this: The population grew slowly. People were being encouraged to settle south of the Columbia River by prominent figures. People were fearful of the conflicts with Native Americans and the US government halted settlement for a period of time because of this. There was a lack of railroad. The people of Washington Territory appealed Congress before they had met the population requirement and were denied statehood. Once the Indian Wars were officially ended, the population grew rapidly, so the people wrote another constitution, which was approved by voters and then by Congress on November 11, 1889.