Editing Treaty of Shackamaxon (section)

== Historical Context ==

William Penn arrived in his new colony in October 1682 with a distinctive vision for relations with indigenous peoples. Unlike many colonial proprietors, Penn believed that the land belonged to its original inhabitants and that Europeans had no right to simply claim territory by virtue of discovery or royal grant. He insisted that all land be purchased from the Lenape through fair negotiation, and he instructed his agents to deal honestly with indigenous peoples. Penn had communicated these intentions to the Lenape before his arrival, sending letters (translated by interpreters) that expressed his desire for friendship and peaceful coexistence. This approach represented a genuine attempt at ethical colonization, though it could not ultimately prevent the dispossession of indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands.<ref name="soderlund">{{cite book |last=Soderlund |first=Jean R. |title=Lenape Country: Delaware Valley Society Before William Penn |year=2015 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

The Lenape whom Penn encountered had already experienced decades of European contact through the Swedish, Dutch, and English colonies along the Delaware River. They had traded with Europeans, experienced epidemic diseases that devastated their populations, and watched as settlers established farms on lands the Lenape had long inhabited. Some land sales had already occurred before Penn's arrival, negotiated by his agents with Lenape leaders. Penn's personal meetings with Lenape sachems in 1682-1683 were intended to confirm these transactions, establish protocols for future dealings, and build personal relationships of trust that would govern relations between the colonists and the indigenous population.<ref name="weslager">{{cite book |last=Weslager |first=C.A. |title=The Delaware Indians: A History |year=1972 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |location=New Brunswick, NJ}}</ref>