Native American Relations with the United StatesWhat were the important treaties, policies, and events that defined U.S. government and Native American relations? How have Native Americans historically responded to these treaties, policies, and events? How did these treaties, policies, and events affect the livelihood, religious, political, and social structures of the Native American people? I will answer these questions by examining two centuries of U.S. history, spanning six periods that define clear shifts in the relationship between Native Americans and the U.S. government. Formative Period 1780 – 1825 One of the critical tasks facing the new nation of The United States was establishing a healthy relationship with the Native Americans (Indians). “The most serious obstacle to peaceful relations between the United States and the Indians was the constant encroachment of white settlers on Indian lands. The Continental Congress, following [George] Washington's suggestion, issued a proclamation prohibiting the unauthorized settlement or purchase of Indian lands. (Prucha, 3) Many Indian tribes had entered into treaties with the French and British and still posed a military threat to the new nation. The new American government was careful not to antagonize the Indians and sought to treat them with mutual respect. This is seen in the first treaties where the term "Red Brothers" was used to express this feeling of equality. By 1800, interactions between Indians and white settlers had become very common through trade. Many Indians traded for household items, traps, and tools. The United States was concerned with cultural differences and sought to improve the lives of the Indians by providing them with the opportunity, like the Seminoles, to develop a culture rich in tradition and assimilation. which favors a self-governing people. Sources cited American Indian Research and Policy Institute, “Framework of tribal sovereignty”, URL: http://www.airpi/org/marge1.html, 1998 Bailey Thomas A., Kennedy David M, The American Pageant: A History of the Republic 10th ed., Lexington, Massachusetts, DC Heath and Company, 1994. Brown, Dee, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West, New York, Bantam Press, 1970 Joseph, Alvin M, The American Heritage Book of Indians, New York, American Heritage Publishing Co, 1961 Prucha, Francis Paul, Documents of United States Indian Policy, Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press, 1990 Schlesinger, Arthur M, The Almanac of American History, New York, Brompton Book Company,1993