The Seminole Wars, also known as the Florida Wars, are wars fought between the Seminole Indians and the Americans. The Seminole Indian tribe is well known as the "unconquered" tribe. This is because the Seminole were not defeated and nor moved from their homeland, but whether moved by choice. The Seminole were formed in Northern Florida. The Seminoles were descends from the creeks, which made it easier for the Seminole to become allies with the Spanish then the United States. The Seminole Wars are three wars that were fought against Seminole Indians and Americans. The First Seminole War lasted about a year. The Second Seminole War lasted about seven years. The Third Seminole War lasted about three years. During the Seminole Wars many lives were …show more content…
Osceola was a very skilled military leader, who had 2 right hand men named, Alligator and Jumper. Osceola gained communications from another Seminole leader named King Philip. King Philip Controlled Seminole east of the Saint Johns River. After Osceola raided a plantation in King Philip territory, he took his warriors in the swamplands near the Withlacoochee River, which is Southwest of Fort King. Osceola continued to raid into non-Indian settlements, Osceola even went to a point of burning down bridges. The burning of the bridges slowed down the troops and weapons that were going to help or attack them. December 18, 1835 Osceola lead about 80 warriors, to ambush a weapons train near the town of Micanopy. While the Seminole were attacking the train, about 30 militia soldiers were there. They were ordered by Captain John McLemore to attack the Seminole Indians. The soldiers were defeated, they loss about 8 soldiers and about 6 were wounded. This battle became known as " Black Point". The communication that Osceola has with King Philip continue to grow stronger. Osceola uses King Philip to raid plantations and non-Indians
As the Spanish advanced again to take Fort Frederica, Oglethorpe was waiting. Slowly moving through the swampy lands on St. Simons the Spanish headed toward Fort Frederica with high confidence. Posting a regiment of Foot Soldiers and Darien’s Independent Company of Highlanders in a wooded area overlooking the marsh where Spanish soldiers would have to cross, Oglethorpe returned to Ft. Frederica (Swinson 137). Oglethorpe then left to retrieve more soldiers. When he returned, the battle was over. The troops had stood off the Spanish until they ran out of ammunition and retreated. Even though he arrived after the fighting, Oglethorpe became the victor (Coleman
The land of the Native Indians had been encroached upon by American settlers. By the
Jackson would go in with his military to take down the Indians and gain their land, “In 1814 he commanded the U.S. military forces that defeated a faction of the Creek nation. In their defeat, the Creeks lost 22 million acres of land in southern Georgia and central Alabama” (Indian Removal Act). From this point on Jackson and his troops would continue to go into the native lands and defeat them; for example the Seminole tribe in 1818. In order to pacify the government and to hopefully keep their land some of the natives signed treaties with Jackson, “From 1814 to 1824, Jackson was instrumental in negotiating nine out of eleven treaties which divested the southern tribes of their eastern lands in exchanged for lands in the west” (Indian Removal Act). When the treaties were signed the United States gained power over some parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
Fort pillow massacre was one of the most controversial battles of the civil war. This battle was a gateway to the eventual fair treatment towards blacks. Although it was a controversial battle it helped unify the country by the end of the war. This massacre gave federalists more of a reason to fight and also gave confederates more reason to defend themselves.
John Marshall ruled that Georgia’s seizure of Indian lands was unconstitutional in 1832, and the federal government had treaty obligations to protect the Indians, though Jackson refused to act on the ruling. Jackson urged Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This law was to negotiate a peaceful exchange of Indian lands in the south for new lands in the “Indian Territory,” which is now Oklahoma. The Choctaws and Chickasaws agreed to accept lands in the West, but many other groups resisted relocation, and this resisting caused violent conflicts. The United States military removed the Creeks from their lands, and the Seminoles fought the Second Seminole War, which ended with U.S. troops forcing most of them away from Florida. After this, troops forced more than 15,000 Cherokees to travel from the Southeast to Oklahoma. Many died of disease, exposure and hunger. “The name of the route they followed is known as the “trail of Tears,” which comes from the Cherokee nunna-da-ul-tsun-yi, for the “trail where they cried” (history
Jackson remained in the military after the war. Late in 1817,he received orders to subdue the Seminole Native Americans, who were raiding across the border from Spanish Florida itself. He captured its bastions at St. Marks Pensacola and arrested, tried, and executed two British nationalists whom he charged with abetting the Native Americans.
“Old Hickory’s War” by David S. Heidler gives an in depth outlook on the United States American Indian relations through The War of 1812, The Creek War, and the Seminole War. Heidler does this with a major focus on Andrew Jackson’s role played in this. Heidler clearly does not support Andrew Jackson’s actions throughout these event, portraying him to be a reckless and power hungry leader of the United States. Heidler states in his thesis that Jackson saw personal gain in expansion, Spanish and Indians that would interfere with United States expansion would be either banished or killed, both Spanish and United States government understood Jackson would stop at no cost, and that Jackson would make his Florida campaigns his personal obsession.
Many people only think that the war affected Americans, British, and French soldiers, but the Native Americans were also affected by this war. The Choctaw, who were lead by Pushmataha, were an army of 135 men. This group was made up of Choctaw leaders and four groups of Choctaws. They defeated the Red Sticks on Burnt Corn Creek in December 1813.
The Removal Act of 1830 paved the way for the hesitant and generally—journey of ten of thousands of Native Americans to move more westward. The very first removal treaty was signed after the Removal Act of 1830. This treaty made Choctaws in Mississippi ceded land east of the river. The U.S. government would give money in exchange for land in the east of the river for land in the west. The Choctaw chief quoted to Arkansas Gazette that in 1831 Choctaw Removal was a Trail of Tears and downfalls. The treaty signed in 1835 was known as the Treaty of Echota, which resulted in the removal of the Cherokees on “The Trail of Tears.” The Seminoles decided not to leave also as the other tribes left peacefully. The Seminoles resisted leaving their homeland. In winter of 1838-39, fourteen thousand were marched one thousand two hundred miles through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. Roughly estimated four thousand died from lack of food, exposure and disease. The government soldiers would appear without notice at a Cherokee front door and order the people inside the home, men women and children, to immediately evacuate and take only what each could carry. They were forced marched to thoughtlessly assembled barriers like cattle and le...
Some peoples, like the Seminole, resisted the relocation and tried to defend their land. When the majority of the Seminole nation resisted it started a conflict that would be known as the Second Seminole War. This war would last from 1835 to 1842 and ultimately ended with a large portion of Seminole people being relocated.
The primary cause of the Seminole War was the instability of Florida following the War of 1812. The Spanish were unable to prevent black slaves running away from Georgia and joining the Seminole tribe in Florida. The slaves who escaped and joined the Seminoles became known as the “Black Seminoles.” The Black Seminoles angered the Americans and they feared they would encourage more slaves to run away and join their forces. Further, the Creeks who had lost their land following the War of 1812 also found refuge with the Seminole tribe. The main source of conflict was a fort that a fort built by the British during the war located on the Apalachicola River. The fort was taken over by a force of 350 Black Seminoles and became known as “Negro Fort.” The United States viewed the fort as a threat and warned Spain that they would attack it unless they removed it. In response the United States constructed Fort Scott just north of the Florida border. The Americans moved a convoy of two gunboats carrying 270 men and laid siege to Negro Fort effectively killing the majority of the black garrison. In retaliation the Seminoles attacked a U.S. Army boat killing 34 soldiers, six women, and beating the brains out of four children; this act marked the start of the Seminole Wars.
Some of the Seminoles left peacefully after signing the Treaty of Payne’s Landing. Some of the Seminoles refused to leave which resulted in the wars (Peppas 2013, page#). The American military had been defeated in many of the battles and the wars cost millions of dollars and thousands of lives. Many of the Seminoles eventually agreed to move after the second war (Native History Association). There was still a third war against the Seminole, but eventually they were paid to move. Some managed not to get caught and remained in Florida (The Seminole Wars Foundation,
Fighting broke out after the Choctaw refused to supply the Spaniards with a guide and transportation. The Spaniards were wrong because the Choctaw Indians were friendly especially with the French and allied with them during the intercolonial wars between France and England. Some Choctaws fought with Jackson in New Orleans against the British. In 1830, the United States Government passed the Indian Removal Act. This act called for Eastern Indians to be moved West to make room for white settlers. The Government then forced the Choctaw to sign the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.
With only one hundred eighty-seven soldiers and fifteen civilians the Texans were able to hold off the two thousand Mexicans for thirteen days before the Mexican army finally defeated the small Texan force at the Alamo. Even though Texas had lost the Battle of the Alamo, this was just a stepping stone for Texas to be able to gain its independence from Mexico. The state of Texas came under Mexican control after Mexico acquired its freedom from Spain. (www.History.com) A man by the name of Moses Austin, an American business man, met with the Spanish authorities in San Antonio to convince them to allow three hundred Anglo-American families to start an American colony in Texas. After being granted permission to bring three hundred families into
Natives were forcefully removed from their land in the 1800’s by America. In the 1820’s and 30’s Georgia issued a campaign to remove the Cherokees from their land. The Cherokee Indians were one of the largest tribes in America at the time. Originally the Cherokee’s were settled near the great lakes, but overtime they moved to the eastern portion of North America. After being threatened by American expansion, Cherokee leaders re-organized their government and adopted a constitution written by a convention, led by Chief John Ross (Cherokee Removal). In 1828 gold was discovered in their land. This made the Cherokee’s land even more desirable. During the spring and winter of 1838- 1839, 20,000 Cherokees were removed and began their journey to Oklahoma. Even if natives wished to assimilate into America, by law they were neither citizens nor could they hold property in the state they were in. Principal Chief, John Ross and Major Ridge were leaders of the Cherokee Nation. The Eastern band of Cherokee Indians lost many due to smallpox. It was a year later that a Treaty was signed for cession of Cherokee land in Texas. A small number of Cherokee Indians assimilated into Florida, in o...