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Description and Holding Information
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1754-06-19, Albany Congress, Proceedings of New York and the several provinces now met in this city (MS)
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This is a long document. The Board of Trade in London had sent a document very critical of the colonies for not paying more attention to the
Indians. Halifax told the Governors to meet in Albany, deliver the King's gifts, listen to the Nations and their allies, and fix the complaints--everyone
needed to be involved. The Governors met in Albany in late June 1754, calling themselves a Commission. Before the meeting with the Indians, the group
considered where to build forts, how to control the liquor trade, and received a complaint about Indians robbing traders. The men spent three days
on a draft of a speech to the Six Nations and friends. Next the group considered some sort of union of the colonies, so a subcommittee started work on
that. The Governor of New York delivered the speech to the Indians, consoling them for recent deaths among their chiefs, and welcoming the renewal
of the Chain of Friendship. He thought the Nations had more chance of success against the French if they lived right around their castles and
generally stuck together. Then he asked for the Nations' representative to speak freely. The chiefs promised to come back the next day. The Governors seemed
to spend half the day on Indian affairs and half the day on the Plan of Union. Since the meeting had been running for several days, the Governor of
New York asked the other Governors for help with food costs, to which they agreed. The Nations responded to the first speech with many complaints
about land incursions and noted it was the first time in three years that there had been a Council fire. Since Colonel Johnson left, all of their
complaints had been ignored. The Governor asked for specifics on the land incursions so he could investigate. The Governor apologized for the neglect and
was happy the Nations didn't want to work with the French "our open and secret enemy." Weiser testified on the activity of the French from 1750 to
the present. Only one fort had been started and was not complete when it was attacked. It was easy to say, "stay together and we can beat the French,"
but it was not easy to achieve. The meetings continued into July. The Commissioners worked hard on the Plan of Union. On July 5, 1754, the Nations
spoke again--Please get soldiers into the country or all will be lost. The Commissioners said they would try harder to enforce the liquor laws, but
said nothing about land grabs. The River Indians, primarily in New England, offered a long history of their tribe and its present pitiful condition.
The Nations agreed to cover the Council fire and go back home, as long as the Governor provided food for the journey and wagons to take the King's
gift back to Onondago. The Commissioners then studied the history of England's and France's settlement of North America. Generally, the area south of
Lakes Ontario and Erie was British territory, but the French started early encroachments in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, suborned the loyalty of the
Indians wherever possible, and were presently working their way south behind the western edges of British expansion, trying to surround all the
colonies. Since the colonies had no united effort against the French, they were quite successful. On July 10, 1754, the Plan of a Proposed Union was
presented to unite the present colonies for defense and security and to extend British settlement in North America. It asked for an Act of Parliament to
set up a general government. There would be a President General and a Grand Council with a set number of representatives from each colony. The Grand
Council would meet annually and stand for election every three years. It would organize the militia and pass other laws of a general nature. It
would direct all the Indian treaties, manage Indian affairs, regulate trade with them, and buy land. There would be a Treasurer. There was discussion
and a Resolve that each colony would receive a copy of the Plan .... The group then discussed forts and agreed that a fort at Irondequoit [near
Rochester] was first, but no plan was passed. William Johnson made proposals [not listed] for defeating the French. The State of the Colonies document was
read, but not summarized. The Governors went home soon after. (Digitized from a microfilm copy held at the Pennsylvania State Historical Society)
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Title:
Proceedings of the Congress hold at Albany by the Honourable James Delaney Esq., Lieut. Gov. and Commander in Chief of the province of New York, and the Commissioners of the several Provinces, now not in this life.
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OCLC Number:
1439132483
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Available Volumes
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| Name | Fiche Count | Online | Paper Backup |
| Vol. 1 | | Yes | No |
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