The Master's Level Graduate Research Conference is supported by the Office of Graduate Studies.

2012 Master's Level Graduate Research Conference

Session I - Session II - Session III - Session IV

A Struggle For Relevance: Iroquois Diplomacy in the Early Republic, 1783-1815

This paper explores Iroquois diplomacy in the United States in the period between 1783 and 1815. The paper argues Iroquois leaders sought to restore Iroquois power and maintain as much of their native homeland as possible by following a policy based on peace with the United States, diplomatic mediation in conflicts between the United States and other native peoples, and periodic land sales. It concludes that the Iroquois strategy was only partially successful. By manipulating American perception of Iroquois power, the Six Nations continued to receive payments for their diplomatic missions to mediate conflicts between the United States and hostile Indian tribes. The Iroquois also succeeded in maintaining parts of their lands in Western New York, thus avoiding the fate of relocation. However, the strategy failed to return the Six Nations to their pre-Revolution position of influence and was mostly effective only during times of conflict.