Native American
The 18th Century
Pre-Statehood
Written Account of Thomas F. Hutchins, August 4, 1770
- This document letter describes the individual's experiences settling in Kaskaskia, affairs with Fort Chartres, and the Indian trade there. It is located on The RiverWeb American Bottom Landing website. To view the documents, click on the link. It will take you to the website's main page. Click on the "Dig Lib" travel bar and use the "Search Narratives" function to search for "Hutchins." The last result will give you easy access to each page of the account.
The 19th Century
An Act to Promote Retaliation Upon Hostile Indians, 1814
- This act rewards people on the frontier for retaliating against Native Americans who attack their settlements. Both citizens and Rangers (militia members) are to be paid for killing Native American men or taking women and children as prisoners.
- Citation: Philbrick, Francis S. The Laws of Illinois Territory 1809-1818. Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1950. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
An Act Concerning the Kaskaskia Indians, 1814
- This paternalistic act establishes the Governor, as the territory's head of Indian Affairs, as a guard against those who would cheat or sell alcohol to the Kaskaskia and other Indians. For violation of the law, it outlines punishments, which differ for black servants and slaves. It also specifies that revenue collected from fines will first go to repaying "all necessary expenses"; the rest will be paid to the injured Indian(s).
- Citation: Philbrick, Francis S. The Laws of Illinois Territory 1809-1818. Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1950. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Early Statehood
- This treaty was an agreement between United States Commissioners Solomon Sibley and Lewis Cass and the Ottawa, Chippewa, and Pottawatamie Indians. The US agreed to allow the Native Americans to hunt on the US-owned land in this area, provided that they allow safe construction of and passage through a road connecting Detroit and Chicago.
- Citation: Quaife, Milo Milton, ed. Pictures of Illinois One Hundred Years Ago. Chicago: The Lakeside Press, 1918.
Indian Removal Act, May 22, 1830 p. 411 / p. 412 (link to Library of Congress)
- This act required all Native Americans to exchange their land east of the Mississippi River for land further west.
Letter from Thomas N. Clark, Jr. to John Ross, Nashville, Tennessee, 17 December, 1838
- Citation: Moulton, Gary E., ed. The Papers of Chief John Ross Volume I. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985.
Letter from Thomas N. Clark, Jr. to John Ross, Mouth of the Ohio River, Illinois, 28 December, 1838
- Citation: Moulton, Gary E., ed. The Papers of Chief John Ross Volume I. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985.
Letter from Thomas N. Clark, Jr. to John Ross, Jonesboro, Illinois, 10 January, 1839
- Citation: Moulton, Gary E., ed. The Papers of Chief John Ross Volume I. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985.
Letter from John Ross to Thomas N. Clark, Jr., Smith's ferry on the Mississippi, 22 January, 1839
- Citation: Moulton, Gary E., ed. The Papers of Chief John Ross Volume I. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985.
Excerpt, Illinois Constitutional Convention Journal, 1847
- This excerpt is from the Illinois Constitutional Convention Journal of 1847. It proposes banning citizenship for Native Americans as well as all other "persons of mixed blood." The Constitution is available in its entirety on the State and Local Governance page.
