Declaration of Independence Asserts Sovereignty of Colonists while Diminishing that of Tribes.

 In a side note, in class on Wednesday, I mentioned that the evolution of Federal attitudes toward Tribal sovereignty was already in motion at the signing of the Declaration of Independence (which ironically asserts a new level of sovereignty for the colonists).   At the time I couldn't remember the exact wording, so here it is from that document's list of grievances against the crown.

"He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands."

There are a few distinct issues that the framers raise here, but the last one related to "new appropriation of lands" is a direct reference to the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which forbade colonists from settling new lands west of Appalachians which was reserved for Indian nations.