Established formal peace and land boundaries between the United States and the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy following the Revolutionary War.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- November 11, 1794
- Haudenosaunee signatories
- Fifty sachems and war chiefs
- U.S. representative
- Timothy Pickering, agent of President Washington
- Nations represented
- Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Tuscarora
- Alternative names
- Pickering Treaty; Calico Treaty
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After the American Revolutionary War, relations between the newly formed United States and the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy remained unresolved. Competing land claims, ongoing frontier tensions, and the need to clarify territorial boundaries and sovereignty compelled both parties to seek a formal diplomatic agreement.
On November 11, 1794, at Canandaigua, New York, fifty sachems and war chiefs of the Grand Council of the Six Nations signed the Treaty of Canandaigua alongside Timothy Pickering, acting as official agent of President George Washington. The agreement addressed land rights, peace, and the relationship between the United States and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
The Treaty of Canandaigua formally defined land boundaries and affirmed peace between the United States and the Six Nations. It remains legally binding and is still recognized today, with the U.S. government continuing to distribute treaty cloth annually to Haudenosaunee nations as a stipulated obligation under the agreement.
Political Outcome
Formal peace established and land boundaries recognized between the United States and the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.