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Treaty

Kansa at St. Louis (1815)

On 28 October 1815 at St. Louis, the Kansa made peace with the United States and accepted its protection; no land was ceded.

Signed
October 28, 1815
Senate
Ratified

What happened

On 28 October 1815, at St. Louis, two United States commissioners, Ninian Edwards and Auguste Chouteau, signed a treaty of peace and friendship with the chiefs and warriors of the Kanzas (Kansa) tribe of Indians. William Clark, who signed other treaties in this 1815 series, is not named in this one.

The preamble says both sides wanted to re-establish peace and friendship and to put the Kansa on the same footing as before "the late war between the United States and Great Britain." Article 1 forgives every injury or act of hostility by either side. Article 2 declares perpetual peace and friendship between all citizens of the United States and all individuals of the Kansa tribe, and renews the friendly relations that existed before the war.

In Article 3 the chiefs and warriors, for themselves and their tribe, acknowledge themselves to be under the protection of the United States of America and of no other nation, power or sovereign.

The treaty cedes no land and sets no boundary. The Oklahoma State page gives the ratification date as 26 December 1818, which does not match the other 1815 treaties in the series; the other 1815 treaties are listed as ratified 26 December 1815. The cause of the difference is not explained on the page.

Good to know. Both the Oklahoma State page and the Statutes at Large give the ratification date as December 26, 1818, three years after the other treaties in this series; the sources do not explain why.

Summarized with AI assistance from 5 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error

What the sources say, and how this was checked

Supported by the sources below; some details rest on one source.

  1. Every injury or act of hostility by one or either of the contracting parties against the other, shall be mutually forgiven and forgot.Treaty with the Kansa, 1815, Tribal Treaties Database
  2. the late war between the United States and Great BritainTreaty with the Kansa, 1815, Tribal Treaties Database
  3. do hereby acknowledge themselves to be under the protection of the United States of America, and of no other nation, power, or sovereign, whatsoeverTreaty with the Kansa, 1815, Tribal Treaties Database
  4. Ratified Dec. 26, 1818.Treaty with the Kansa, 1815, Tribal Treaties Database
  5. Ratified, Dec. 26, 1818.United States Statutes at Large, vol. 7, p. 137 (GovInfo): Treaty with the Kansas, 1815

Research notes. The Oklahoma State page and the Statutes at Large (7 Stat. 137) both give a ratification date of 26 December 1818, unlike the other 1815 treaties (26 December 1815). The text does not name William Clark among the commissioners.

What happened next

Everything the record holds about this land and this treaty, in order: what earlier agreements said, what this one did, and what the United States, the courts and the nations did afterwards.

Who is doing the work today

The nations connected to this treaty come first, then groups returning land and defending treaty rights. Support goes directly to them.

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Sources

  1. treaties.okstate.edu/treaties/treaty-with-the-kansa-1815-0123reference work
    Oct. 28, 1815. | 7 Stat., 137. / scan: TREATY WITH THE KANS.A, 1815. 123

Shapes are approximate and are not legal descriptions of land, title or jurisdiction.