Pennsylvania Scalp Bounty Proclamation, April 22, 1780.

Historical Documents & Lessons
Written By Herbert Snow

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This set of documentary sources and lessons focuses on scalp bounty raids, laws and rewards offered to colonial combatants by Pennsylvania Colony during the Revolutionary War. Throughout the war, bounties for killing, scalping, and capturing Indigenous soldiers and civilians were offered by both Continental and British government and military officials.

Key Historical Documents

Pennsylvania Scalp Bounty Proclamation, passed April 22, 1780. “By His Excellency Joseph Reed, Esq. president, and the Supreme Executive Council, of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” A proclamation. Library Company of Philadelphia Broadsides, Philadelphia : Printed by Francis Bailey, 1780 #Am 1780 Pen Cou 953.F.45

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Thomas Lynch Montgomery, and Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. VIII, 167, 176

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As warfare against Tribal Nations and British forces escalated in the region, Joseph Reed Esq., President, and the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, proposed a scalp bounty to incentivize colonial militiamen. Soon after decimating Six Nations homelands, Reed promised large bounty rewards for the capture and scalping of Native people.

An official bounty act issued on April 22, 1780 by Reed and the Pennsylvania Council awarded $3,000 Continental for every Native prisoner or every Tory who had acted in arms with them, and $2,500 Continental for every Native scalp. At the time, $2,500 in paper was valued at $33 ⅓ in silver. This bounty remained in effect until March 21, 1783.

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Historical Context

 

Correspondence and Orders

  • Sir, As some Indian Tribes, to the westward of the Missisippi have lately, without any provocation, massacred many of the Inhabitants upon the Frontiers of this Commonwealth, in the most cruel and barbarous Manner, and it is intended to revenge the Injury and punish the Aggressors by carrying the War into their own Country.

    We congratulate You upon your Appointment to conduct so important an Enterprize in which We most heartily wish You Success; and we have no Doubt but some further Reward in Lands, in that Country, will be given to the Volunteers who shall engage in this Service, in addition to the usual Pay: if they are so fortunate to succeed, We think it just and reasonable that each Volunteer entering as a common [soldier] in this Expedition, shou’d be allowed three hundred Acres of Land, and the Officers in the usual Proportion, out of the Lands which may be conquered in the Country now in the Possession of the said Indians; so as not to interfere with the Claims of any friendly Indians, or of any People willing to become Subjects of this Commonwealth; and for this we think You may safely confide in the Justice and Generosity of the Virginia Assembly.

    We are Sir Yr. most Hble Servts.,

    G: Wythe, G. Mason, Th: Jefferson

  • The Expedition you are appointed to command is to be directed against the hostile tribes of the Six Nations of Indians, with their associates and adherents. The immediate objects are the total destruction and devastation of their settlements, and the capture of as many prisoners of every age and sex as possible. It will be essential to ruin their crops now in the ground and prevent their planting more.

    I would recommend, that some post in the center of the Indian Country, should be occupied with all expedition, with a sufficient quantity of provisions whence parties should be detached to lay waste all the settlements around, with instructions to do it in the most effectual manner, that the country may not be merely overrun, but destroyed.

    But you will not by any means listen to any overture of peace before the total ruinment of their settlements is effected. Our future security will be in their inability to injure us and in the terror with which the severity of the chastisement they receive will inspire them.

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  • How did colonial officials and settlers use Joseph Reeds’s Scalp Bounty Law to justify the taking of Native peoples’ land in what became the United States?

    1. What does Joseph Reed’s Scalp Bounty Law represent in the conflict between Native peoples and the colonial government in Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War?

    2. Who was Joseph Reed?

    3. Describe the historical moment when the Reed Bounty Proclamation was issued and the motivations for its passage.

    4. For whom did he write the Proclamation?

    5. What other government or military officials encouraged the passage of this bounty act?

    6. In what ways do you think the bounty proclamations passed during the Revolutionary War have influenced U.S. popular culture's understanding and portrayal of Indigenous peoples and the assumptions made about their involvement in this conflict?

    7. Reflecting on Barbara Mann’s excerpt, what were some of the motivations for Indigenous forces to conduct their own raids on American armies and settlers? In what way does this help explain her observation that these Native warriors were not merely allies of the British or fighting for their cause?

    8. Why do you think American generals like Brodhead might have rejected efforts at peaceful negotiation made by tribal leaders? What were some motivations of American military expeditions in this region?

    9. What is the role of historical documents in human society, American civics, and democracy?

 

Worksheets & Lesson Plans

Scalping Outside the Dawnland:

This lesson is designed for grades 6-8 and 9-12 but can be adapted for upper-elementary levels. The full lesson may take 3-4 class sessions to complete, though it can be shortened.

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More worksheets and lesson plans coming soon.

 

Sources and Resources

 

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Herbert Snow
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