Content Warning: This section references racist and violent actions committed by white people and the nations of the United States, France, Spain, and Great Britain.

During the colonial expansion of the United States, relations between Indigenous nations and white settlers were complicated and fraught with tension and violence. Indigenous Americans resisted white violence, encroachment, and control of their lands either with wars, alliances, or diplomatic endeavors. The United States government continued with policies of enforced removal and resettlement of Indigenous lands.

By the mid-18th century, Indigenous tribes living east of the Mississippi River realized that colonialism threatened their nations, and they became concerned about how to maintain their lands and independence. During the American Revolutionary War, Indigenous tribes adopted different strategies, hoping to best serve their cause. Tribes like the Iroquois, Cherokee, Cree, and Shawnee allied with the British, while others remained neutral; and tribes like the Delaware and the Potawatomi supported the Americans. Both American and British sides sought the support of Indigenous Americans. Different alliances and conflicting decisions often caused rifts within and among Indigenous nations. At the end of the war and with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Britain recognized the independence of the United States and ceded most of its colonies.