Re: JC's Query re the Walking Purchase

Posted by ann on July 29, 1998 at 13:22:56:

In Reply to: Re: JC's Query re the Walking Purchase posted by JC on July 29, 1998 at 11:49:07:

: And so by means of a false deed, and use of runners, the Penns acquired 1200 square miles of Lenape land in Pennsylvania, an area about the size of Rhode Island.................

: JC

Yes, JC, your query re Walking Purchase inspired me to check a PA history book. The explanation was very similar to yours. My assertion that Billy Penn conducted his dealings with the native americans with integrity holds up. However, as so often happens, his offspring did not live up to their parents ideals. (Hannah Penn was adamant as well that the indians should be treated fairly.)

The version I read also said that a contest was held to choose the fastest runners. The indian tradition was that a day's walk was about 20 mi, and according to my book, the land covered was a total of 60 mi.

This was the beginning of frontier problems. The Scotch/Irish were spilling from the already purchased land into Indian lands.
They were by no means as peaceful as Penn's Quakers and were accumstomed to turbulence from their No. Ireland homeland.

Just finished an interesting chapter about the Seminoles in Florida.

Seems the fact that the natives conducted warfare with other tribes as much as they did with white men, was one of the reasons they would ultimately be pushed first from the Eastern states, then from Fla into the plains.

At one point, the native americans sold their fellow indians from other tribes as slaves. So, the saga was not pure black & white -- as usual there were shades of gray.

Do you know which tribe you're descended from?.....you ARE a true American......those of us descended from Europeans cannot claim that for more than a few hundred years back:o)......best wishes, ann

Follow Ups:

• Re: JC's Query re the Walking Purchase JC 14:42:56 7/29/98 (1)
  • Re: JC's Query re the Walking Purchase ann 16:34:31 7/29/98 (0)

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: : And so by means of a false deed, and use of runners, the Penns acquired 1200 square miles of Lenape land in Pennsylvania, an area about the size of Rhode Island.................

: : JC

: Yes, JC, your query re Walking Purchase inspired me to check a PA history book. The explanation was very similar to yours. My assertion that Billy Penn conducted his dealings with the native americans with integrity holds up. However, as so often happens, his offspring did not live up to their parents ideals. (Hannah Penn was adamant as well that the indians should be treated fairly.)

: The version I read also said that a contest was held to choose the fastest runners. The indian tradition was that a day's walk was about 20 mi, and according to my book, the land covered was a total of 60 mi.

: This was the beginning of frontier problems. The Scotch/Irish were spilling from the already purchased land into Indian lands. 
: They were by no means as peaceful as Penn's Quakers and were accumstomed to turbulence from their No. Ireland homeland.

: Just finished an interesting chapter about the Seminoles in Florida. 

: Seems the fact that the natives conducted warfare with other tribes as much as they did with white men, was one of the reasons they would ultimately be pushed first from the Eastern states, then from Fla into the plains.

: At one point, the native americans sold their fellow indians from other tribes as slaves. So, the saga was not pure black & white -- as usual there were shades of gray.

: Do you know which tribe you're descended from?.....you ARE a true American......those of us descended from Europeans cannot claim that for more than a few hundred years back:o)......best wishes, ann 


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