One of the confederate six nations making up the Iroquois The Oneida Indian Nation, one of the original members of the Iroquois Confederacy, enjoys a unique role in America's history having supported the Colonies in the struggle for independence from England.

For centuries prior to the American Revolution, the Oneida Nation controlled millions of acres of dense forests, beautiful lakes and rivers abundant with game and resources that provided their people with prosperous livelihoods. Oneida villages were constructed of multi-family longhouses which were protected by surrounding palisades. Within these walls dwelled entire communities complete with sophisticated agricultural beds. Upon returning home after the Revolutionary War however, Oneida Warriors found their villages had been burned and pillaged by the British Army as well as armies from the 13 colonies.

The Oneida Nation had yielded 5.3 million acres of land within the state of New York through two treaties in 1785 and 1788, prior to the Constitution. The state of New York and various land companies contrived to remove the Iroquois from their homelands, especially the Oneida whose land was in direct route of the Erie Canal. In 1821 a delegation of the six Nations met with representatives from the Menominee and Winnebago Nations to negotiate for fertile and open lands along the western Great Lakes. In an 1822 Treaty, the Oneida then purchased a large section of land in a territory that would soon become the state of Wisconsin.