Ended the Northwest Indian War and opened the Ohio Country to U.S. settlement, marking the close of the American frontier in the eastern United States.
Key Facts
- Date Signed
- August 3, 1795
- Location
- Fort Greenville, now Greenville, Ohio
- War Ended
- Northwest Indian War (1785–1795)
- U.S. Representative
- General Anthony Wayne (1745–1796)
- Native Parties
- 12 tribes of the Western Confederacy
- Preceding Battle
- Battle of Fallen Timbers, August 1794
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After a decade of conflict in the Ohio Country, Native American tribes of the Western Confederacy suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in August 1794. This loss broke the confederacy's military resistance and compelled its member tribes to enter peace negotiations with the United States government.
On August 3, 1795, General Anthony Wayne, representing the United States Army, and leaders of twelve Native American tribes signed the Treaty of Greenville at Fort Greenville, Ohio. The agreement redefined the boundary between indigenous lands and U.S. settlement territory, restricting Indian country to the northwestern portion of Ohio.
The treaty ended the Northwest Indian War and formalized U.S. dominance over the Ohio Country, accelerating American settlement and paving the way for Ohio's statehood. It also established the practice of annual payments of goods and supplies to tribes in exchange for land cessions, setting a precedent for future U.S.-Native American agreements.
Political Outcome
The United States secured sovereignty over the Ohio Country; Native tribes ceded most of Ohio and were confined to northwestern Ohio, with annual goods payments guaranteed.
Northwest Territory disputed between U.S. and Western Confederacy of Native tribes
U.S. government holds recognized dominion over the Ohio Country; Native tribes limited to northwestern Ohio