Prior to the Revolutionary War (1776–1783) while the thirteen American colonies were still under British rule,
the Illinois and Piankeshaw Indian tribes lived in the Ohio Valley region to the west. During the period of
European exploration, France had claimed the region through discovery. A 1763 treaty ending the French and
Indian War (1754–1763) between France and Great Britain over North American lands transferred claim to the
region to Great Britain. A number of years later, in 1773 and 1775, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Graham, two
individuals acting on their own, purchased lands northwest of the Ohio River directly from the two tribes.
At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1776, numerous conflicts erupted between tribes, the colonies, and
their citizens. Many of the tribes were sympathetic to the British. Attempting to establish claim and some
control over the Ohio Valley to its west, the state of Virginia passed a law proclaiming exclusive right to large
tracts of land. Included were the two parcels owned by Johnson and Graham. Consistent with existing legal
principles, the law recognized that the Indians held a right of possession to continue living in the region until
the lands could be purchased by Virginia. The act also provided that all previous land transactions by Indians to
private individuals for their own use were not valid. Additionally, upon defeat, Great Britain gave up its claim
to the Ohio River area.