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How did the First Treaty of Fort Laramie affect Plains nations?
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Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains
Dancers at the Totah Festival Powwow performing the Northern Tradition dance, a dance inspired by Plains traditions, on September 1, 2007, in Farmington, New Mexico.
The First Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851) was negotiated by the United States to secure safe passage for travelers and reduce intertribal conflict across the northern Great Plains. Its effects on the signatory nations—including the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Dakota, Hidatsa, Mandan, and Assiniboine—were profound and multifaceted:12
- Territorial Definition: The treaty explicitly defined the home territories of each nation, which helped mitigate some intertribal disputes.2
- Infrastructure and Access: It granted the U.S. government the right to build and protect roads and forts within the region, facilitating westward expansion.12
- Obligations: Signatory nations agreed to cease hostilities against one another and against Euro-Americans. In exchange, the U.S. promised to provide annual payments of goods and services.2
- Encroachment and Dissatisfaction: Many Indigenous peoples soon became dissatisfied as the treaty failed to prevent the increasing encroachment of settlers on their lands, leading to renewed tensions and conflicts, such as the campaign against the Bozeman Trail.1
Ultimately, while the treaty was intended to forestall strife, it served as a precursor to the federal policy of confining nations to reservations.12