Mohawk land in New York fell to 14,600 acres through forced cessions

Evidence

While new American leaders such as George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Benjamin Franklin studied the Haudenosaunee government, they also engaged in land speculation over territory held by these peoples, and Mohawk lands were ceded through force, coercion, and deceit until fewer than 14,600 acres remained in New York State. By 1889, 80 percent of all Haudenosaunee land in New York State was under lease to non-Indian interests and individuals. — Winona LaDuke, All Our Relations, 88

Categorization

• XREF: The founding fathers’ dual study-and-speculate dynamic is a direct legal-history resonance with Johnson v M’Intosh and the doctrine of discovery.