Free Hybrid Lecture: Lenape, the 14th State? American Indian Treaties Reimagined

Name: Free Hybrid Lecture: Lenape, the 14th State? American Indian Treaties Reimagined
Start: 2026-02-12T18:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-02-12T19:00:00-05:00
Location: Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

Schedule

Thu Feb 12 2026 at 06:00 pm to 07:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 | Cambridge, MA

During the American Revolution, representatives of the Continental Congress sought to forge alliances with Native nations through treaties, much as they did with European powers like France. This talk will examine the failure of these early diplomatic efforts, focusing on the treaties signed with the Maliseet in 1776 (Treaty of Watertown) and the Lenape in 1778 (Treaty of Fort Pitt).
Philip J. Deloria, Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History, Harvard University will highlight notable provisions in these agreements—including their shift from Native diplomatic forms to legalistic ones—and consider how truly reciprocal and respected treaties with Native nations might have altered the very nature of the United States. The talk will invite an imaginative rethinking of the course of American history, a creative thought experiment that centers Indigenous land, diplomacy, and sovereignty.
This lecture is presented to mark the 250th Anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Advance registration recommended for online and in-person attendance: https://tinyurl.com/DeloriaLenapeLecture
Free admission. Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage starting at 5:00 pm. Presented by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture.