Native Americans

Mount Vernon was an attractive location for Native communities for thousands of years prior to the arrival of the Washington family.

The Oneida Indian Nation openly declared its support for the patriots during the Revolutionary War. According to George Washington "The Oneidas have manifested the strongest Attachment to us throughout this Dispute." However, after the war state and federal governments prevented the Nation from buying back most of their ancestral lands. 

In the 18th century, the Creek Confederacy was a multi-ethnic coalition of migrant peoples with a territorial expanse that encompassed much of the Deep South. After the American Revolution, during the 1780s and 1790s, the Confederacy clashed violently with the United States, before embarking on a “Plan of Civilization”.

During this armed conflict Native nations, including the Ottawa, Delaware, Potawatomie, Shawnee, Mingo (Seneca), Wyandot, Ojibwe, Huron, Choctaw, Piankashaw, Kickapoo, Tunica, Peoria, and Mascouten, challenged the attempts by the British Empire to impose its will and abolish Native sovereignty.

Sparked by George Washington, the French and Indian War was part of a global conflict between Britain and France known as the Seven Years' War. Both sides were supported by Native American nations. 

On May 28, 1754, Virginia Regiment Lieutenant Colonel George Washington and Mingo chief Tanacharison led a party of roughly 40 men in a raid against 29 French soldiers. 

Through his explorations, settlements, military activities, and effective management of relations with Native Americans, Christopher Gist contributed significantly to English western expansion in North America. 

Fort Duquesne was an important landmark during the Seven Years’ War. After two unsuccessful attempts, in 1758 a third attempt to capture the fort from the French was made by Virginia Colonel George Washington. Members of the Cherokee and Catawba tribes were part of the 6,000 person expedition.

The Proclamation Line of 1763 restricted Anglo-American settlement beyond the Appalachians and prohibited governors from transferring Native American lands to private companies or individuals unless previously acquired by Great Britain through an official treaty. The Crown also formally acknowledged that Native Americans possessed certain land rights, evoking widespread colonial discontent and frustration.

George Croghan was a prominent trader, frontiersman, and agent. He established trading posts in Native American villages, learned at least two Native languages, became an Onondaga Council sachem, and was a Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs.

In the fall of 1770, George Washington traveled to the Ohio River Valley to check on some of his lands. While there he renewed ties with Native Americans, meeting with Conengayote and several other Iroquois chiefs. Some remembered Washington from his 1753 diplomatic mission while others had only heard of him.

In October 1770, George Washington, Dr. James Craik, and a group of soldiers journeyed to the Ohio Country. According to Craik's recollections, a Native Sachem recalled the Battle of Monongahela. Washington fought in the battle but no bullets harmed him. Awed at Washington’s seeming invincibility, the Sachem prophesized that Washington would someday lead a powerful empire.

President Washington wanted a just Native American policy, explaining that "The Government of the United States are determined that their Administration of Indian Affairs shall be directed entirely by the great principles of Justice and humanity." However, his desire to protect American citizens led to many bloody conflicts.

Joseph Brant or Thayendanegea was a Mohawk warrior, tribal leader, and diplomat most notable for his alliance with the British during the American Revolution. As president, Washington recognized Brant’s influence in the Six Nations Confederacy and sought to include him in negotiations between the United States and Iroquois leaders.

One of the major diplomatic issues facing President George Washington were the conflicts between the Creek Nation and western settlers. Washington negotiated a treaty with the Creek Nation, which paid for their land and resettlement in federally protected areas.

A notable military officer, Anthony Wayne led a campaign against Native Americans in the Northwest Territory during the 1790s. His victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the resulting Treaty of Greenville fulfilled one of the Washington Administration’s policy objectives of suppressing Native people's resistance to white settlement.

Timothy Pickering negotiated several treaties with Native Americans, notably with the Six Nations chiefs at Tioga in November 1790 and at Newtown Point in July 1791. He also played a role in the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua with the Iroquois Confederacy.