The Kansas Indians: The Case of the Shawnee Tribe was a Supreme Court case that concerned the rights of Native Americans to own land. In this particular case, the Shawnee tribe had been granted a reservation in 1854 by Congress and were allowed to purchase additional lands within their boundaries. However, when settlers began moving into these areas, they attempted to take possession of some of these lands without paying for them or obtaining permission from the tribe. This prompted legal action on behalf of both parties which eventually reached all the way up to the Supreme Court. Ultimately, it was decided that while tribes could not be forced off their reservations without just compensation being paid out first, they also did not have any special right over non-reservation land beyond what any other private citizen would possess under US law at that time.

In The Kansas Indians: The Case of the Shawnee Tribe, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a treaty between the United States and an Indian tribe could be enforced in state court. Chief Justice Chase delivered a dissenting opinion arguing that treaties are not subject to judicial review by state courts because they are made with foreign nations. He argued that since Indian tribes were considered sovereign entities at the time of their formation, any disputes arising from them should be settled through diplomatic channels rather than through litigation in state courts. Furthermore, he argued that it would be inappropriate for states to interfere with matters concerning foreign relations as this is solely within federal jurisdiction. As such, he concluded that treaties between Indian tribes and the United States must remain under exclusive federal control and cannot be enforced or interpreted by individual states’ courts without congressional authorization.