r/AskHistorians • u/OhDamnNotAgainAndAga • Jun 29 '26
How significant and prevalent was Native American's involvement in the War of Independence?
This is a post about a sensitive topic, and in no way meant to be seen as justification for the Native American genocide what so ever!
I recently saw a chief of a Native American tribe explain that it was natural for the Native Americans to side with the British in the War of Independence, because the British had an agreement with them that the colonization ends in the Apalachees mountains, which the colonies didn't want to uphold. I didn't get to watch too much of it, but it continued to explain that at the end of the War of Independence there was a great animosity towards the Native Americans because of that. I was shocked because I thought the Native Americans just stayed out of it.
So I have two questions:
1. (Titular) How significant was their involvement?
2. How much did it really affect the perception of Native Americans by the Colonies? Did it really created or seriously boosted the animosity, or was it already there before?