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Franklin Treaty with the Chickasaw, 1830 (unratified)

The unratified 1830 Franklin treaty would have ceded northern Chickasaw lands for a western country that was never found.

Signed
1830-08
Senate
Never ratified

The Senate never ratified this treaty, so under U.S. law it never took effect, even when the government acted on it.

What happened

On August 31, 1830, at Franklin, Tennessee, Secretary of War John H. Eaton and General John Coffee signed articles with chiefs and head men of the Chickasaw Nation. The text says they were "duly authorized, by the whole nation, to conclude a treaty."

In Article 1 the Chickasaw ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi River north of a described boundary, up to latitude 35 North, the southern boundary of Tennessee. In Article 2 the United States agreed to furnish a country west of Arkansas Territory of equal extent. Article 5 promised $15,000 a year for twenty years, starting after removal.

The treaty was conditional. If, after examination, a suitable country could not be found, the text says "this treaty, and all its provisions, shall be considered null and void." The Chickasaw Nation's own history page says a Chickasaw delegation headed by Levi Colbert set out on October 15, 1830, to explore the West. The party could not find an area deemed suitable, and the treaty "was not ratified by the U.S. Senate and became void." The same page says the Chickasaw were "forced to cede their lands." Its timeline lists the 1832 Treaty of Pontotoc Creek as the next event.

Good to know. The "forced to cede" wording comes from the Chickasaw Nation's own site, not the treaty text.

Summarized with AI assistance from 4 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

Well supported by the sources below.

  1. then, it is stipulated and agreed, that this treaty, and all its provisions, shall be considered null and void.Tribal Treaties Database (Oklahoma State University): Treaty with the Chickasaw, 1830 (Franklin)
  2. The Chickasaw Nation hereby cede to the United States all the lands owned and possessed by them, on the East side of the Mississippi RiverTribal Treaties Database (Oklahoma State University): Treaty with the Chickasaw, 1830 (Franklin)
  3. the treaty was not ratified by the U.S. Senate and became void.Chickasaw.tv (Chickasaw Nation): Treaty with the Chickasaw, 1830 (Treaty of Franklin)
  4. The Chickasaw were forced to cede their lands in return for land west of the Mississippi River.Chickasaw.tv (Chickasaw Nation): Treaty with the Chickasaw, 1830 (Treaty of Franklin)

Research notes. The 'forced to cede' wording is the Chickasaw Nation's own site, not the treaty text. The sources give the date as August 31, 1830.

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.

This history belongs to living nations. Start with them:

Native legal and land defense, nationally

Gifts go straight to each organization; this atlas takes nothing. Listing is not endorsement: how organizations are listed.

Sources

  1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Pontotoc_Creekpointer
Research notes

Per Wikipedia (pointer) the Franklin Treaty was never ratified; precedes Pontotoc Creek (RIT 173). Date and Kappler citation not verified.

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