In 1775, the Continental Congress was considering whether or not to declare independence. One of the issues was how much support we could get and whom we should ask for aid. The Amerindian nations were uneasy neighbors of the colonies and many had sided with the French during the "French and Indian" War of 1755-63. The British had gained their trust by revising its colonial policies to make it illegal for colonists to settle the land west of the ridgeline (the dividing line between rainfall flowing into the Atlantic Ocean and into the Mississippi River). The Continental Congress authorized Massachusetts to negotiate a treaty of mutual military assistance with the Mickmac Tribes of Amerindians -- known in 2011 as the Mi'kmaq Nation. The negotiations were a success and the treaty was signed on July 19, 1776. Read the article in the link above and decide -- Was this the first treaty pledging mutual assistance signed by the U.S. and another nation? Did the Mickmac Tribes live up to the terms of that treaty in a way that paralleled France's aid under the Treaty of 1778 (taking into consideration the differences in population and in technical development)?