In 18th century America, it became standard practice to award special medals to Indian chiefs. This was done by the representatives of England, France and Spain in an effort to keep control of their allies among the Indians. The infant United States, beset by enemies on all sides, attempted to win the loyalty of Indian tribes on the frontier, but these were heavily aligned with the English, making the fight for independence all that more difficult. When peace was declared in 1783, the British chose to keep large areas of the old Northwest, especially what is now Michigan, despite treaty obligations.
Attempts to dislodge the British proved futile for some years, and it was not until after the War of 1812 that London ceased to exercise any control of the Indian tribes on American territory. In the meantime, the United States had adopted the European practice of awarding medals to friendly chiefs in an effort to maintain peace on the frontier.
It should not be assumed that the mere awarding of a special medal automatically brought an Indian tribe under the control of the American government. This was usually accompanied by the presentation of trade goods and coined money. In most circumstances, a treaty was signed a soon as possible.
(The modern view that the government broke all the treaties is not correct; Indians created their share of problems, though perhaps on a smaller scale. The major
