LEAP DAY - A DAY FOR NATIVE AMERICANS AND HATTIE McDANIEL

Jay Treaty, also known as Jay's Treaty, The British Treaty, the Treaty of London of 1794, and (officially), Treaty of Amity Commerce and Navigation, between His Britannic Majesty; and The United States of America was a treaty between the United States and Great Britain that is credited with averting war, resolving issues remaining since the Treaty of Paris 1783, which ended the American Revolution, and facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the United States and Britain in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars, which began in 1792. (See Blog entry Saturday 19^th November

The treaty was signed on 19^th November, 1794, the Senate advised and consented on 24^th June, 1795; it was ratified by the President and the British government; it took effect on the day ratifications were officially exchanged, 29^th February, 1796.

Of some note, Articles III of the Treaty contained the following provisions:

"It is agreed, that it shall at all times be free to His Majesty's subjects, and to the citizens of the United States, and also to the Indians dwelling on either side of the said boundary line, freely to pass and repass, by land or inland navigation into the respective territories and countries of the two parties on the continent of America, (the country within the limits of the Hudson Bay company only excepted) ... and freely carry on trade and commerce with each other."

Article III of the Jay Treaty declared the right of "Indians" (“Native Americans”) as well as of American citizens and Canadian subjects to trade and travel between the United States and Canada, which was then a territory of Great Britain.

Over the years since, the United States has codified this obligation in the provisions of Section 289 of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, and as amended in 1965. As a result of the Jay Treaty,

"Native Indians born in Canada are therefore entitled to enter the United States for the purpose of employment, study, retirement, investing, and/or immigration".

Article III of the Jay Treaty is the cause of most Indian claims. So it should be and the promise made should be honoured.


The Twelfth Academy Awards took place at the Cocoanut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the 29^th February 1940. Hattie McDaniel won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone With The Wind.

Hattie McDaniel said in her Acceptance Speech:

“Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests: This is one of the happiest moments of my life, and I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of their awards, for your kindness. It has made me feel very, very humble; and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel, and may I say thank you and God bless you.”