Indigenous People of East America (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

The victory of the United States over Britain in the American War of Independence had significant consequences for the Indigenous peoples in North America. Although British colonists had taken land from the indigenous tribes and nations on the East Coast, they had no intention of expanding west beyond the Appalachian Mountains.

The leaders of the United States did want to expand west and American colonists began to occupy land to the west of the Appalachians during the 1780s. This led to violent conflicts. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 led to Indigenous peoples being moved to an area named "Indian Territory" by the US government.

The Indigenous People in the East

• The North American continent is often, wrongly, portrayed as being largely unpopulated when European colonists first arrived

  • There were large groups or nations of Indigenous peoples with rich and varied cultures and ways of life

• Indigenous Americans had been displaced and removed from their lands since the arrival of the first British colonists in the early 1600s

  • Many of these people had moved to lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, which Britain had no ambition to colonise

  • When the United States defeated Britain in the American War of Independence in 1783, these lands came under the control of the USA

• The newly-acquired lands were divided into the Northwest Territory and the Southwest Territory and they were soon opened for 'settlement' or colonisation by the United States government

The removal of the Indigenous People from the East

• In 1787, the Northwest Territory was opened by the US government for 'settlement' or colonisation by Euro-Americans

  • The land of this territory would become the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois

  • The arrival of large numbers of Euro-Americans led many Indigenous people to leave and move further west

• In 1790, the Southwest Territory was opened

• Euro-Americans were encouraged by the US government to occupy and farm the land

  • The land of this territory became Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky

  • It was more difficult for indigenous people in the Southwest territory to move further west, as much of the land there had already been occupied by Euro-Americans

• The response of the Creeks and Seminoles was to fight the Euro-Americans who were coming to occupy the land of the Southwest territory

  • This was not successful and the Creeks were defeated in 1814 by an army led by Andrew Jackson (a future American president)

  • The Creeks were forced to give up 23 million acres of land

• Rather than fighting, some Indigenous people tried to adopt the ways of life of the people of the United States

  • The Cherokee, the Creeks, the Chickasaws, the Seminoles and the Choctaws all began trading in farmed goods with the United States and even opened schools, churches and newspapers

  • These nations soon became known as the "Five Civilised Tribes" by people in the United States

The Indian Removal Act, 1830

• The assimilation of the 'Five Civilised Tribes' did not prevent their forced removal from their lands

  • Like many others, President Andrew Jackson and others referred to it as the "Indian Problem"

  • He decided that the way to end this problem was to remove all Indigenous people from the lands in the east

• In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act

  • This forced all Indigenous people in the East of the USA to:

    • Give up their lands

    • Move to an area in the Midwest of America that was unwanted by Euro-American plantation owners

  • This area was named "Indian Territory" by the US government

  • It was later to become the state of Oklahoma

Cherokee court action

• The Cherokee Nation took legal action to try to stop its eviction from its land

• The case went to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land

  • The Cherokee argued they were an independent nation from the United States

    • This, argued the Cherokee, meant that US laws and acts did not apply to them

    • The judge agreed and ruled that the Cherokee were 'a distinct political society'

  • The judge also ruled that the Cherokee relied on the US government for their safety and welfare,

  • This meant the US government should be able to do what it thought was best for the Cherokee

• The ruling infuriated President Andrew Jackson, who decided to ignore it and continue to force the Cherokee from their lands

The Second Seminole War, 1835-42

• Some Seminole leaders signed a treaty with the US government and moved to Indian Territory

  • However, many Seminole leaders refused to acknowledge the treaty

  • They claimed it had been signed without their knowledge

  • Their refusal to stick to the terms of the Treaty led to war

• The Seminole were joined in their fight by African Americans who had escaped enslavement

  • The war lasted 7 years and cost the US government over $50 million

• When the US government opened negotiations with the Seminole chief and war general, Osceola

• The government captured and imprisoned Osceola

  • Osceola died in prison

    • His death was a turning point in the war

    • Many Seminoles decided to head west

  • A minority of Seminoles remained in Florida

  • The United States fought another war with the Seminoles between 1855 and 1858

The Creek in Alabama

• The Creeks signed a treaty in 1832

• The treaty gave much of the Creek's land in Alabama to the Alabama government

  • This was in exchange for a promise that they could keep the remaining land

  • However, US citizens kept moving onto Creek land and illegally occupying it

• The Creek complained to the Alabama government, but they refused to act

• The Creeks started to take violent action against the occupiers, which involved arson and murder

  • In 1836, the Alabama government called on the US Government for help

  • The Secretary of War sent in troops and ordered the removal of all Creeks from Alabama

  • Over 15,000 Creeks were moved to the Indian Territory by 1837

The Trail of Tears

• In 1835, several Cherokee leaders signed a treaty with the US government

• In the treaty, they agreed to move to "Indian Territory"

  • However, the majority of the Cherokee did not agree with the treaty

  • Over 15,000 of them signed a petition that claimed the treaty did not represent them

• Despite the petition, in 1838, the US government sent 7,000 troops to force 18,000 Cherokee to march for three months to Indian Territory

  • The terrible journey became known as the 'Trail of Tears'

  • It is estimated that around 5,000 Cherokee died of disease, exposure and starvation before they reached Indian Territory

The Consequences of President Jackson's Actions

• Around 46,000 indigenous people were removed from their lands as a result of the Indian Removal Act

  • This meant 25 million acres of land were then available for Euro-Americans to occupy and build plantations

  • These plantations were worked by enslaved people