U.S.–Native American Treaties Virtually all inhabitable land in North America was occupied by Native Americans when Europeans arrived. By the 1990s, Indian [Native American] reservations in the United States represented about 2.5 percent of the country. A study of treaties reveals the changing nature of Indian and white relations. . . . Between 1778 and the early 1800s, federal power over Indians expanded dramatically, especially in the eastern states. Eventually all tribes came to be regarded as quasi-sovereign peoples, not national equals. This view led to diminished tribal control over their destiny, their increasing exploitation, and federal paternalism. Tribes came to be regarded as dependent nations, and treaties were considered in the same light as other statutes of the U.S. Congress. It may come as a surprise that, despite military conflicts between the federal government and various tribes, the United States never formally declared war on hostile Indians. Treaties with Indians were negotiated by the president of the United States and were binding when approved by the Indians and two-thirds of the U.S. Senate. It is important to note that a treaty could not provide funds for Indians; monetary commitments required separate congressional action. Nearly 400 treaties were negotiated. The greatest number, nearly 260, were arranged during the great westward expansion of white settlers following the War of 1812. The majority of these treaties, 230, involved Indian lands. A block of 76 treaties called for Indian removal from their lands and resettlement on other lands. Two tribes, the Potawatomi and Ojibwa (Chippewa), negotiated 42 treaties each, a record number. . Source: Wendell H. Oswalt, This Land Was Theirs: A Study of Native North Americans, Eighth Edition, 2006 Question 1: What was the primary purpose of treaties between the United States and Native American tribes during the great westward expansion following the War of 1812?