Description:

Printed Kickapoo Indian Land Treaty, Sanctioned by President Franklin Pierce and George Manypenny.

Printed pamphlet on light blue paper, 8 pages, dated July 17, 1854, 7.75" x 12.25". Created as two bi-folds that were originally loosely stitched, however, the small threads are present but no longer holding the pamphlet together. Pamphlet title page of "TREATY / between / THE UNITED STATES / and the / KICKAPOO INDIANS". Printed on the "seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-four". Having been issued by President Franklin Pierce. Slight toning along outer edges, with minor handling marks, else near fine and crisp.

A phenomenal piece and the first we have seen. A near fine example of a Treaty between the U.S. and the Kickapoo Indians. The Kickapoo ceded "all that country southwest of the Missouri River … on the left branch of Salt Creek" for which they were to receive $300,000 arranged by George Manypenny. Manypenny was the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the United States from 1853 to 1857. His appointment as Indian Commissioner came during the administration of Franklin Pierce and he was responsible for settling 52 treaties during his tenure, many of them in Kansas and Nebraska. Manypenny arrived with altruistic reverence for Indian rights. Of the Kansas/Nebraska Act, he told Congress that "the rights of person or property now pertaining to the Indians in said territories were inviolate, and that all lands held by Indians could constitute no part of the new Territories… until ceded by treaty or otherwise, as was stipulated in the treaty between France and the United States in 1803 ceding the Louisiana Territory to the Americans."

But within two years, Manypenny would do a complete about-face on Indian rights. He reported to Congress in 1856 that he successfully negotiated numerous treaties of cession: "Since the 4th of March, 1853, fifty-two treaties with various Indian tribes have been entered into…the quantity of land acquired by these treaties…is about one hundred and seventy-four millions of acres…in no former equal period of our history have so many treaties been made, or such vast accessions of land obtained."

Manypenny was strongly influenced by Thomas "Broken Hand" Fitzpatrick's criticisms of the Removal Era. He also adopted D.D. Mitchell's solution to the Indian question in the West by promoting a program of land allotment in severalty in the territories. But Manypenny neglected to observe two of Mitchell's stipulations; 1) that any land deeded to Indians could not be estranged from the titleholder for 50 years, and 2) that each Indian who acquired a section of land should be made a citizen of the U.S. Unfortunately, the program faltered. The emigrant population, already struggling to accommodate black men, had no sympathy for the Indians.

In his annual report to Congress in 1856, Manypenny advised lawmakers that Indian Policy, on the whole, needed to be reworked. The unsettled conditions in the new Territories had resulted in serious harm to the Indians: "Trespasses and depredations of every conceivable kind have been committed on the Indians…they have been personally maltreated, their property stolen, their timber destroyed, their possession encroached upon, and diverse other wrongs and injuries done to them…their rights and interests seem thus far to have been entirely lost sight of and disregarded by their neighbors."As was its custom regarding the protection of Indian lands and resources, Congress did nothing.

This rare piece is an example of such a treaty. Ex- William J. Burger collection.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

February 16, 2022 10:30 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000