America 250: Native Nations and the American Revolution

Editor’s Note: This article is part of Native News Online’s America 250: A Republic Built on Native Land initiative.

As the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary, it is important to remember that the American Revolutionary War was not solely a struggle between Great Britain and the American colonies. Indigenous nations were also deeply involved in the conflict, making strategic decisions to protect their lands, political sovereignty, and cultures during a pivotal moment in North American history.

Long before the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord, Native nations across the continent maintained sophisticated governments, diplomatic relationships, and trade networks. East of the Mississippi River alone, dozens of Indigenous nations exercised sovereignty over their homelands. As tensions between Great Britain and its colonies escalated into war, Native leaders understood that the outcome would directly affect their futures.

Both the British and the American colonists sought Native allies. Indigenous nations, however, were not simply participants in a European conflict. They acted as independent political entities, weighing alliances based on what they believed would best protect their people and territories.

Among those nations were the Cherokee, whose relationship with the British Crown stretched back decades before the Revolution. In 1721, Cherokee leaders entered into a treaty with the British colony of South Carolina that established trade relations, recognized territorial boundaries, and formalized diplomatic ties. In 1730, seven Cherokee leaders traveled across the Atlantic to London, where they signed what became known as the Treaty of Whitehall, establishing formal relations with the British Crown and strengthening a political alliance that would endure for generations.

Following the French and Indian War, Britain issued the Proclamation of 1763, which sought to limit colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains in an effort to reduce conflict with Indigenous nations. Five years later, the Treaty of Hard Labor established a new boundary between Virginia and Cherokee lands. While these measures did not stop encroachment, many Cherokee leaders believed Britain offered a better chance of slowing colonial expansion than the American colonists, despite Britain’s own history of acquiring Indigenous lands through treaties.

As war broke out, British officials supplied weapons, ammunition, and trade goods to their Native allies. In 1776, Cherokee warriors launched attacks on colonial settlements along the southern frontier in an effort to defend their homelands from continued expansion. American forces responded by destroying numerous Cherokee towns and seizing additional territory. Despite these devastating losses, Cherokee leaders continued to resist American expansion while maintaining alliances with British forces.

In the Great Lakes region, many members of the Three Fires Confederacy—the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations—also aligned with the British. These nations had longstanding trade relationships with British officials and generally believed that British policies offered greater protection against American settlement. Warriors from Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi communities allied with the British defended forts, protected supply routes, and participated in military operations throughout the Great Lakes region. Their knowledge of the land and military experience made them valuable allies during the war.

Not all Native nations chose the same path. The Oneida and Tuscarora Nations allied with the American colonists and provided critical support to the Continental Army as guides, messengers, and soldiers. Their decision illustrates the diversity of Indigenous political thought and demonstrates that Native nations made independent choices based on their own circumstances and interests.

The war also created divisions within some Native nations and alliances. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, one of the most powerful Indigenous political alliances in North America, experienced internal fractures as member nations chose different sides in the conflict. These divisions weakened long-standing diplomatic relationships and had consequences that extended well beyond the end of the war.

Regardless of which side they supported, Indigenous nations emerged from the Revolutionary War facing profound challenges. The 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the conflict between Great Britain and the United States, but Native nations were excluded from the negotiations. Without Native participation or consent, Britain ceded to the United States vast territories that it claimed by right of conquest and treaty, including lands occupied and governed by Indigenous nations.

For Native nations, the end of the war did not bring peace or security. Instead, it marked the beginning of a new era of American expansion that would result in further land loss, political upheaval, and challenges to Indigenous sovereignty.

As Americans reflect on the nation’s founding during the America 250 commemoration, the experiences of Native nations deserve a central place in the story. Indigenous peoples were not bystanders to the American Revolution. They were sovereign nations navigating a rapidly changing political landscape, making difficult decisions in defense of their lands, cultures, and futures.

Understanding their role in the Revolutionary War offers a more complete and honest account of the nation’s history—and a reminder that the United States was built on lands that Native nations have called home since time immemorial.

Native News Online intern Zaynab Farran (Potawatomi) contributed to this article.

Related