In 1785, Benjamin Hawkins a delegate to the Continental Congress, negotiated the Hopewell treaty with the Cherokee Indians that defend the western boundary for American settlement. This treaty which was signed at the Hopewell Plantation, brought the Cherokee under sovereignty of the United States and specified boundaries of a huge area of Tennessee, eastern sections of the Carolina's, and Northern Georgia as Cherokee hunting grounds. The treaty stated that any non-Indians settling in this area would lose the protection of the United States and the Cherokee could punish them as they pleased. Unfortunately new settlers continued to move into the Cherokee hunting grounds and attacks by the Cherokee became widespread and vicious. The settlers retaliated in kind.
President George Washington approved an attempt to negotiate a new treaty with the Cherokee, but the meeting place was raided by Captain John Beard under the future Governor of Tennessee, John Sevier. Sevier ordered Beard to attack and many Cherokee were killed. Washington ordered the arrest and trial of Captain Beard, but Sevier helped him escape and avoid the trial. In response, over 1000 Chickamauga under Cherokee Chief John Watts launched a series of attacks that resulted in a massacre of settlers including children. When John Sevier received word of the massacre, he raised a force to combat the Cherokeee. Sevier's men met up with some of the Cherokee at a village called Hightower. The Cherokee set up a defensive position to prevent Sevier and his men from crossing the Etowah river, but when Kingfisher one of the Cherokee leaders was killed, the warriors fled and Sevier burned the village. Washington and the Cherokee's were furious at the release of Captain Beard, and was President was looking to congress to make a pronouncement about what should be done.
In his fifth state of the union address, George Washington expressed the furor he shared with the Cherokees over the release of Captain Beard. He was was looking to Congress over what should be done.
"An anxiety has been also demonstrated by the Executive for peace with the Creeks and the Cherokees. The former have been relieved with corn and with clothing, and offensive measures against them prohibited during the recess of Congress. To satisfy the complaints of the latter, prosecutions have been instituted for the violences committed upon them. But the papers which will be delivered to you disclose the critical footing on which we stand in regard to both those tribes, and it is with Congress to pronounce what shall be done."Washington continued to express his desire for peace with the Cherokees and the Creeks after this present emergency had been addressed, and after rigorous justice had been executed. To have peace with the Indian nations required an establishment of commerce with them without fraud, without extortion and with fair payment for goods received.
"After they shall have provided for the present emergency, it will merit their most serious labors to render tranquillity with the savages permanent by creating ties of interest. Next to a rigorous execution of justice on the violators of peace, the establishment of commerce with the Indian nations in behalf of the United States is most likely to conciliate their attachment. But it ought to be conducted without fraud, without extortion, with constant and plentiful supplies, with a ready market for the commodities of the Indians and a stated price for what they give in payment and receive in exchange. Individuals will not pursue such a traffic unless they be allured by the hope of profit; but it will be enough for the United States to be reimbursed only. Should this recommendation accord with the opinion of Congress, they will recollect that it can not be accomplished by any means yet in the hands of the Executive."I could find little action that congress took except for signing a new treaty with the Cherokees (Treaty of Philadelphia) that confirmed the boundaries established in 1791 under the Treaty of Holston. Unfortunately, back and forth raids, campaigns, ambushes and other frontier battles still continued until summer of 1795. But, Washington with the help of Benjamin Hawkins (pictured above with Creek Indians), did try to establish peace. It's not stated exactly, but the "Executive for peace" mentioned by Washington may have been Benjamin Hawkins. Hawkins was instrumental in the signing of the Hopewell treaty. and in 1796, George Washington appointed him as General Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Hawkins was given responsibility for dealing with all tribes south of the Ohio river and was principal agent to the Creek tribe. Hawkins studied their language and was adopted by the Creek. He began to teach European-American agricultural practices to the Creek. Hawkins established his agency in Creek territory and built a sawmill, gristmill and a trading post. For the next 19 years, Hawkins continued to work to establish peace between the settlers and the tribed, but saw much of this work destroyed in 1812, when a group of Creek rebels, known as the Red Sticks tried to revive traditional ways and halt the encroachment of the new Americans. Benjamin Hawkins remained superintendent of Indian affairs until his death in 1816.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29435
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Hopewell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hightower
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Hawkins
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee%E2%80%93American_wars
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Benjamin_Hawkins_and_the_Creek_Indians.jpg
https://presidentgeorgewashington.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/vaughanportrait.jpg
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