| Sumario: | This essay examines the 1778 Treaty of Fort Pitt between the United States and the Delaware (Lenni Lenape) and its unique proposal for an Indigenous state within the American confederation. Focusing on article 6 of the treaty, which offered the Delaware the opportunity to form a state and gain representation in Congress, this article explores the tension between the promise of multiracial inclusion and the realities of settler - state hegemony. The work situates Delaware leader White Eyes's efforts for legal recognition and acculturation within broader debates about sovereignty and citizenship in early American political thought. Through comparative analysis with the Articles of Confederation and the 1785 Treaty of Hopewell, the essay argues that the Fort Pitt treaty imagined a confederal model of alliance that could have fostered Indigenous sovereignty as coordinate, rather than subordinate, to US authority. Ultimately, the essay contends that the Treaty of Fort Pitt represents a missed opportunity to envision Indigenous self - governance as an integral part of the United States, with enduring relevance for contemporary struggles over sovereignty and recognition.
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