3.6: Contrasting Tales of Settlement: Blue Jacket and Rufus Putnam in the Northwest Territory

We’ll focus on the American Midwest with this episode: specifically, the areas affected by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.  These fertile lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River were considered ripe for American settlement…unless you and your kin were already living there and had done so for generations.  In this episode of History: Beyond the Textbook, our last in our arc of looking at “The West” during these Crucial Years, we’ll explore the Northwest Territory using the experiences of Shawnee leader Blue Jacket and Army Engineer Rufus Putnam.

Key People
Blue Jacket
Rufus Putnam
Joseph Brant
Arthur St. Clair

Key Events/Ideas
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Land Ordinance of 1785
Treaty of Fort Harmar
St. Clair's Defeat

The third season of History: Beyond the Textbook focuses on the stories of individuals who shaped "America's Crucial Years" of 1783-1790, and runs from October 8-December 24. Catch up on Season One, "America's Colonial Era," and Season Two, "America's Revolution," wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Feel free to contact us with feedback or questions by clicking the "Send Us a Text" link or email us at: hbttpodcast@gmail.com

Transcript

“The Flyover.”  Admittedly, as one who was born and has lived my entire life in the Upper Midwest, I never heard that phrase until college…which was also located in the Upper Midwest.  One of my professors, who originally hailed from the East Coast, used the phrase in class.  When a few of us asked one of our other professors about it, he simply stated that he was from the other end of the flyover…so clearly, I had some catching up to do regarding coastal vernacular.  If you find yourself in the same predicament I was in during college, “Flyover States,” or simply, “The Flyover” refer to the states of the Midwest and Plains that you “flyover” en route to the East or West Coast.  A term meant in jest, to be sure…but one that belittles the importance of the region to the historical, and frankly, modern-day, United States.  We’ll focus on the Midwest portion of this collection of states today: specifically, the areas affected by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.  These fertile lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River were considered ripe for American settlement…unless you and your kin were already living there and had done so for generations.  In this episode of History: Beyond the Textbook, our last in our arc of looking at “The West” during these Crucial Years, we’ll explore the Northwest Territory using the experiences of Shawnee leader Blue Jacket and Army Engineer Rufus Putnam.

Act I: The “Northwest”

What is now generally considered to be the American “Midwest” was the flashpoint for the French and Indian War that we learned about at the end of season one, and it was now legally in American hands.  The Confederation government wanted to open up these lands to American settlers, and the settlers were likewise very eager to move west.  It was under these auspices that none other than Thomas Jefferson proposed the Ordinance of 1784…which became law in 1785, explaining why so many textbooks refer to it as the “Land Ordinance of 1785.”  The primary goal was to survey this land so that it could be divided into plots for easy sales.  Granted, these lands had been acquired in separate treaties with Indigenous nations in 1784 and 1785, in addition to its transfer from Great Britain, but in the eyes of the Confederation government, the land was now theirs.  The system of measurement dividing the land into townships of 36 square miles and further subdivided into acreages for homesteads wasn’t necessarily a novel idea, but what was unique was the scale with which the surveying would occur.  We’re talking about an area immediately west of Pennsylvania and north of the Ohio River, so it would be no small feat.  Work would begin in 1785, but this Ordinance would be followed up by the more well-known Northwest Ordinance of 1787.  The short version is that this law provided the necessary steps for these surveyed lands to quickly achieve statehood, so borders of each potential state in the lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River were carefully considered.  Before statehood was achieved, territorial status was provided, along with a Governor and Judges to enforce and administer laws.  Once 5,000 adult men populated a territory, a legislature was to be established for the purpose of representative government.  60,000 residents meant that said territory could send men to write a state constitution, with statehood being the final step.  These are the rules by which Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin entered the Union, although a portion of this land also became Minnesota.  The laws governing westward settlement were now in place, so migration from the east could now begin.

Act II: Putnam in Ohio

On one side of today’s episode, the side of “settlement,” so to speak, is Rufus Putnam.  It’s logical to focus on him because he will eventually earn the nickname “Father of the Northwest Territory,” and spend a significant amount of time in service to this area.  Appropriately, his background was that of a land surveyor, similar to George Washington; he also served during the Revolution, similar to many of his contemporaries.  In this, and next season in particular, it may seem like we keep bringing up the War for Independence, but bear in mind that this was the defining moment for that generation.  Therefore, if you could claim legitimate service in that conflict, you were already on a solid path towards recognition and prosperity after the war.  Rufus Putnam, not to be confused with his cousin Israel, was born in 1738, and his combat and engineering experiences during the French and Indian War would prove useful during the Revolution.  Once those hostilities broke out, the six-foot Rufus Putnam participated in the Siege of Boston by helping to fortify locations deemed crucial to keeping the British boxed in.  It was actually his ingenuity that allowed the burgeoning Continental Army to transport heavy cannon over frozen ground onto the heights surrounding the city, convincing the British that maybe they’d be better off elsewhere.  The rest of his war would rotate between combat, such as when he commanded troops in the pivotal Saratoga campaign, or serving as an engineer and securing strongholds such as West Point.  As the war wound to a close, two of Putnam’s actions provide additional context and relevance to our narrative: the first was that he became a founding member of the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of former officers of the Revolution whose membership was passed down through the first-born son.  This caused something of a stir because, to some, it reeked of European titles of nobility that were inherited and only available to a select few…and didn’t we just condemn this via our actions during the War?  However, it matters to us because it meant that Putnam would command a serious amount of influence in convincing former soldiers to relocate during the post-war years.

The second action undertaken by Rufus Putnam during this time involved the composition of a series of letters.  One was referred to as the Newburgh Petition, not to be confused with the Newburgh Conspiracy from earlier this season.  This letter stipulated that land in the Ohio River Valley, that fertile tract of land at the center of the French and Indian War that was supposedly closed off to colonial settlement following the Proclamation of 1763, would be open to military veterans as a form of payment for their services.  Nearly 300 officers signed this petition, indicating who the potential beneficiaries might be.  Putnam also wrote to His Excellency, George Washington, indicating that the former, along with scores of New Englanders, were chomping at the bit to settle in this region.  These correspondences all occurred prior to the Land and Northwest Ordinances, so once the Confederation Congress passed these pieces of legislation, the stage was set for efficient settlement.  Why efficient?  In addition to the multitude of potential settlers awaiting the chance to head west, Putnam and several partners anticipated the Northwest Ordinance by establishing the “Ohio Company of Associates,” or simply the “Ohio Company,” in 1786.  Their goal: mass settlement of the Ohio River Valley.  Even though Putnam didn’t necessarily take the lead in lobbying for the desired legislation in Congress, his vast influence via his wartime connections and foresight in acknowledging the importance of this land were instrumental in its passage.  Rufus Putnam would lead the vanguard of settlers, mostly war veterans, to establish the town of Marietta, Ohio, in 1788, and this initial settlement was to set the tone for the waves of Americans who migrated west in the succeeding years.  

Act III: Blue Jacket and Indigenous Resistance

Shawnee leader Blue Jacket forms the other half of today’s narrative, and he may have been the most universally-known Shawnee were it not for the actions of Tecumseh one generation later.  So, we begin this act with the Shawnee.

There are currently three tribes that are federally recognized: the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, the Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma.  You probably heard all three locations, and yes, our story takes place in Ohio, not Oklahoma, so you can guess that removal is unfortunately on the horizon.  Much of this condensed history comes courtesy of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma: the original homeland of the Shawnee appears to be smack in the midst of the Ohio River Valley, although their traditional homelands stretched from Alabama in the South to Illinois in the North, as far east as Delaware and Virginia.  And a land as vast as this meant that the Shawnee adapted well to their terrain, be it mountainous, farmland, or prairie.  They also heavily based their lives on agricultural seasons, placing an emphasis on the planting, ripening, and harvesting of their crops, and participating in ceremonies to go with them.  Yet, their original location placed them in the midst of multiple conflicts that we have addressed on the show: the Beaver Wars of which Chief Canaqueese was a participant put them in the crosshairs of the Haudenosaunee, while those same Haudenosaunee would claim the Shawnee as tribute in the aftermath of the French and Indian War.  To be clear, the Shawnee were fighters: they participated in the mis-named Pontiac’s War and were more than willing to defend what was theirs.  But circumstances beyond their control now meant that newcomers would pile onto their lands, prompting a defensive response from the Shawnee.

Enter Blue Jacket, or Weyapiersenwah [Way a pier sen wah].  We would love to give you a detailed account of his backstory, but little information appears to have survived about his early life.  He was most likely born at some point in the mid-1740’s, which means that his formative years were probably shaped by the French and Indian War, and we can infer that Blue Jacket was a probable participant.  It was following this war that Shawnee land was supposed to be closed to colonial settlement on account of the Proclamation of 1763, but the Haudenosaune’s late alliance with the British during the war, coupled with their relative strength and the alliance of the Shawnee with the French, is what led the Haudenosaunee to claim the Shawnee as vassals.  Blue Jacket’s role in all of this is, of course, officially unknown, but he was most likely not a key player since he doesn’t show up in the historical record at this time.  He also was not a key participant in the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix, which did allow settlement on Shawnee lands in modern-day West Virginia and Kentucky: it’s worth noting that these lands were also occupied by the Delaware, Mingo, and Wyandot, so multiple nations would be forced to contend with these newcomers.  Blue Jacket officially enters the picture in the mid-1770’s just before the start of the American Revolution when his position as a Shawnee War Chief was apparently well-established.  He participated in Lord Dunmore’s War in 1774, a direct result of the Shawnee protecting their lands from settlers taking advantage of the Treaty of Fort Stanwix and came to understand and appreciate the power of British weaponry during this conflict.  He would ally with the British along the frontier during the Revolution in a role similar to that of Joseph Brant in New York.  At war’s end, Blue Jacket would find himself in a position of continuing to defend Shawnee land from the cascade of arriving settlers.

So how are interactions between the Confederation government and Indigenous nations such as the Shawnee in the Ohio River Valley during this time?  We got a glimpse into these dealings last week with the experiences of Creek leader Alexander McGillivray, and when we take a more “northern” bent, or maybe “northwestern” is a more appropriate phrase, we return to Secretary of War Henry Knox’s insistence on respecting Indigenous land rights…officially, at least.  The idea was to convene with each nation to establish clear boundaries and determine where Americans were allowed to settle.  However, this idea, more of a “suggestion,” never came to pass as treaty after treaty implied that the United States now “owned” the Northwest and was merely “leasing” it to each Indigenous nation.  The Shawnee were even subject to a treaty that utilized the old “right of conquest” ideology at Fort Finney in 1786: the American commissioners explained that, “this country belongs to the United States…their blood defended it, and will protect it.”  It was signed by Shawnee representatives…and was rejected by most Shawnee as they saw little reason to give up their land; it’s the now-old idea of finding “representatives” of a nation willing to sign on the dotted line without acknowledging whether these individuals truly represented said nation.  That particular year ended with a joint statement issued in British-controlled Detroit: Joseph Brant took the lead, and representatives of the Shawnee and Haudenosaunee were also present.  Their goal was to unite for the cause of peace, but they ended their statement by declaring, “It shall not be our fault if the plan which we have suggested to you should not be carried into execution…if fresh ruptures ensue we…shall…be obliged to defend those rights and privileges which have been transmitted to us.”  Translation: if the United States sought to defend what they felt was theirs, the Shawnee, and nearly every other Indigenous nation in the region, would gladly defend that which had always been theirs.

Act IV: Clash of Cultures

Marietta, Ohio was, as we know, established in 1788 by Rufus Putnam, among others.  Located where the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers converge, the goal was to create a settlement that could serve as the center of trade and commerce while simultaneously acting as a conduit for more settlement: a proverbial “gateway to the West” for the young nation.  As a signal of how quickly the tides of history would turn, the town was named after French Queen Marie Antoinette in honor of France’s contribution to the American Revolution; it wouldn’t be long before she and her husband fell seriously out of favor in their own nation.  Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory, arrived in July 1788 and was greeted by Putnam and his associates.  The latter were more than eager to pledge their allegiance, so to speak, to this representative of the federal government since they would rely on said government to provide stability and order under the new Constitution.  To many, it appeared to be a scenario in which men like Putnam would seize power and watch their wealth and influence grow.  For instance, as Superintendent of the Ohio Company, Putnam was in charge of distributing land to the newly arrived settlers.  Each was supposed to receive equal plots of 8 acres apiece, and Putnam did adhere to this policy…but the divisions were drawn up back east without much consideration given to the quality of each plot of land.  Therefore, Superintendent Putnam made the executive decision to parcel out land that was actually farmable, which would be to the advantage of each occupant.  However, not all of this land was conveniently located close to Marietta; in fact, some of these plots were as far as 10 miles from the settlement, which was about a 2-hour horse ride with a strong, healthy horse, so you can imagine how long it must have taken to walk there.  Putnam did take care to place these plots next to more easily navigable bodies of water, but new arrivals from the eastern states were none too pleased to find that their lands would not be as valuable as the plots that were closer to Marietta.  Some of these lands wouldn’t even be able to send their goods to Marietta for further sale, rendering the purpose of their relocation moot.  A compromise was proposed in which common lands were divided up and randomly drawn for, but this was rejected in favor of the original proposals.  Putnam’s actions caused an early rift between the initial, established settlers and those more recently arrived: Putnam’s rationale for providing the first settlers with the choicer plots closer to Marietta was that they assumed the initial risk, so they should be rewarded for their daring with better land.  It certainly didn’t help the impression that he was using his position for the gain of himself and his allies.

And what about the Shawnee, and by extension, the other Indigenous nations on whose lands Marietta was located?  Somewhat interestingly, 28 Delaware greeted Rufus Putnam and his initial followers when they unloaded their boat, Mayflower.  Putnam would write, “I was fully persuaded that the Indians would not be peaceable very long, hence the propriety of immediately erecting a cover for the immigrants who were soon expected.”  Why the hesitation after this peaceful overture…or better yet, why the peaceful overture given the recent actions by the Confederation, and then federal, government?  Rufus Putnam’s experiences in wartime, and even as a surveyor, gave him a prime view of what happened when Indigenous nations were pushed to their limits…but we also know that these same nations had come to rely on goods acquired through trade with white traders, hence the probable explanation for the welcome that the Delaware gave Putnam.  Putnam appeared cautiously optimistic about the potential for positive relations with the Delaware, and even the Wyandot, but he would write an associate that he believed the Shawnee to be “a set of thievish murdering rascals.”  As we’ve seen, the Shawnee were simply aware of what this influx of settlers would bring and understood the stakes.  Governor St. Clair would recognize the need to placate the nations along the Ohio River and even invited them to a conference where he would distribute gifts and money on exchange for lands that were ceded: the only nations who attended were ones that hadn’t actually ceded any of the lands that were the focus of the meeting.  The Shawnee, along with the Miami, did not send any representatives.  The same was also the case with the Treaty of Fort Harmar, signed in early January of 1789.  The fort was located at Marietta and its construction preceded the wave of settlers; it had actually been constructed to prevent squatters from illegally claiming fertile tracts of land as their own.  On the side of the Indigenous confederation that had formed, the Delaware, Ottawas, and Wyandot were the primary attendees: the Shawnee and Miami sat this out, as did Joseph Brant, whose absence is explained by attempted preliminary negotiations with St. Clair that seemingly went nowhere.  Those in attendance were attempting to scale back the amount of land on which the Americans were settling, and they were frankly quite alarmed at the number of settlers and the sheer size of the permanent dwellings that were being constructed.  Sure, the treaty was signed, and allegedly borders were agreed upon, but the violence would continue.  Rufus Putnam would even write, “This treaty under all circumstances gave us no real security, or reason to relax in our precautions against a surprise.”  The same attitude could apply to Blue Jacket and the Shawnee.

With nearly 20,000 arriving in the Northwest Territory within the first two years of settlement, defensive actions on the part of the Indigenous nations were imminent.  The Americans were planning to march on Miami villages as a means of stamping out any potential Indigenous alliances and placing pressure on the British to vacate their presence at Fort Detroit, something that they should have done as a condition of the Peace of Paris, but also happened to be the site of the joint statement issued at the end of 1786.  Blue Jacket played a significant role in organizing these defenses, although the Miami leader Little Turtle has historically received the lion’s share of the credit for the military successes that followed.  Part of this stemmed from the American decision to attack Miami villages first to quell the violence: Blue Jacket and the Shawnee were viewed as worthy adversaries whose allies would need to be weakened before they were confronted head-on.  General Josiah Harmar led the expedition, so it has aptly been named “Harmar’s Campaign,” and his forces enjoyed numerical superiority, but were mostly made up of frontier militia that couldn’t be relied upon in battle.  Once this was fully realized, the Indigenous forces wasted little time in pushing the Americans back, and Blue Jacket’s greatest success came in the form of what became known as “St. Clair’s Defeat,” so you can probably guess what happened.  Blue Jacket helped lead the main force that surprised St. Clair’s force of 3,000 troops, and only 600 were left alive when the battle was over: this 1791 victory was the greatest by an Indigenous force over the Americans in the Northwest, but history tells us that it would be short-lived.  Blue Jacket would continue to sound the call of war, believing that his Shawnee could defeat anything the Americans threw at them, so he worked to increase his ties to the British to procure more weapons of war; he would participate in the failed Battle of Fallen Timbers, the result of which would force him to sign the Treaty of Greenville that ceded most of Ohio to the United States, but his resistance would inspire the next generation of Indigenous leaders, the Shawnee Tecumseh in particular.  Rufus Putnam attempted to keep the peace in the wake of St. Clair’s Defeat by treating with the Miami and providing them with gifts; it didn’t work, so he would don his uniform once more as part of the American forces that pursued the Shawnee during this time.  Once Indigenous resistance was subdued, he would resume his work in support of settlement; he already was serving as a judge in the Northwest Territory when war broke out, and at its end, he would return to his roots as United States Surveyor General.  He would die in 1824, and per his request, no formal ceremony marked his passing; Blue Jacket had died almost a decade and a half before, fighting for Shawnee land rights, and inspiring others to do so, until the bitter end.  Two men, two goals, one place: Blue Jacket and Rufus Putnam certainly illustrate the complexities surrounding negotiations and settlement in the Northwest Territory.

Next week, we shift our focus from “The West” to three episodes on “transition” during this time period: yes, we’re going to address the new Constitution during this time, but the first in this three-episode arc will place the focus on general unrest in western Pennsylvania.  In our next episode of History: Beyond the Textbook, we’ll address what has become known as “Shays’s Rebellion” through the eyes of General Benjamin Lincoln, and its namesake, farmer and war veteran Daniel Shays.