In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson wrote a private letter to William Henry Harrison (later to become our 9th POTUS) who was the Governor of Indiana Territory...following are excerpts from his letter.
 |
| 1801: Thomas Jefferson Indian "Peace" Medal |
"Our system is to live in perpetual peace with the Indians, to cultivate an affectionate attachment from them...to decrease their subsistence by hunting and draw them to agriculture, to spinning and weaving."
"When they withdraw themselves to the culture of a small piece of land, they will perceive how useless to them are their extensive forests...we shall push our trading uses, and be glad to see individuals among them run in debt, because we observe that when these debts get beyond what they can pay, they become willing to (sell) their lands."
"Our settlements will gradually approach the Indians, and they will in time either incorporate as citizens of the United States, or remove beyond the Mississippi. The former is certainly the termination of their history most happy for themselves; but, in the whole course of this, it is essential to cultivate their love."
"We presume that our strength and their weakness is now so visible that they must see we have only to shut our hand to crush them...should any tribe be foolish enough to take up the hatchet at any time, seizing their whole country and driving them across the Mississippi as the only condition of peace would be an example to others and a furtherance of our final consolidation."
No comments:
Post a Comment