DECEMBER 18, 1968

AKWESASNE MOHAWKS BLOCK SEAWAY INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE

On December 18, 1968, members of the Mohawk village of Akwesasne blocked the Seaway International (Cornwall) Bridge connecting the U.S. to Canada. Their village is located on both sides of the border, and their right to pass freely back and forth across it is guaranteed by the Jay Treaty of 1794. Canada had been restricting the free movement of Mohawk Indians demanding that the Mohawk pay tolls to use the bridge and pay customs on goods brought back from the U.S. Several Mohawks were arrested for blockading the Cornwall Bridge, but when they pressed for presentation of their case in the court system, the Canadian government dismissed the charges. In 1969, the Canadian government formally recognized these rights. The incident also brought about the creation of the Indian newspaper, Akwesasne Notes, and establishment of the North American Indian Traveling College.

Source:
Troy R. Johnson, “Roots of Contemporary Native American Activism,” American Indian Culture And Research Journal, 20:2 (1996) 140-42.  Retrieved 1/30/2024,  https://escholarship.org/content/qt6gb2q36m/qt6gb2q36m_noSplash_bbc284241fec99740fe92a37ec8bc49c.pdf  
Kaniehtonkie, “Fifty Year Anniversary of 1968 Bridge Blockade, Indian Time, 12/20/2018.  Retrieved 1/30/2024, https://www.indiantime.net/story/2018/12/20/news/fifty-year-anniversary-of-1968-bridge-blockade/30058.html
Map:  Nonemnac, 2005.  Permissive Use.