Topic: Displaced People 23   Topic: Displaced People Standard: Examines and analyzes the events that led to the removal of the Indians from Georgia. Topic: Displaced People 23   Standard: Examines and analyzes the events that led to the removal of the Indians from Georgia.

After 105 years of first English colonists arriving in GA… GA’s Native population is gone Tribal lands are in hands of the whites How did this happen?

Differing Views of Land Native Americans: Can’t own land; just use and manage it White Americans: Land is to be bought, sold and inherited…it is to be owned just as in Europe

Native American Tribal Leaders Have white fathers and Indian mothers Live in 2 different worlds …Alexander McGillivray …William McIntosh …John Ross …Elias Boudinot …George Guess (Sequoyah) syllabary

5 Civilized Tribes “civilized” because they take on whites’ ways of life Creeks Cherokees Seminoles Choctaws Chickasaws

5 Civilized Tribes

Where were they located? Choctaws _____________________ _____________________________ Chickasaws ___________________ _____________________________ Cherokees ___________________ ____________________________ Creeks ______________________ Seminoles ____________________ ______________________________

Creek Confederation Loose association of tribes A.k.a. Muscogees 2 distinct groups Upper Creeks & Lower Creeks (include Yamacraws) Chiefdoms = 2+ towns led by a chief MICO

After American Revolution: Creeks help the British…GA gov’t demands Creeks cede land Upper Creeks Led by chief Alexander McGillivray Refuse to give up land Lower Creeks Turn over their territory to GA gov’t

After Yazoo Land Fraud… GA turns over western lands to US gov’t and receives… (1)$1,250,000 (2)US gov’t promises to remove Indians from GA as soon as possible ** **while still promising Native Americans to protect their land holdings

As Native Americans cede land… GA begins to distribute Indian lands through the 5 Land Lotteries

The Creeks… Largest of 5 civilized tribes to live in GA

War of 1812: Britain vs. US (round 2) Upper Creeks Aka “Red Sticks” Side with the British vs. US Lower Creeks Stay friendly with the US

Upper Creeks (Red Sticks): Fight civil war vs. Lower Creeks Fight against Gen. Andrew Jackson & Lower Creeks (led by Chief Wm. McIntosh) at Horseshoe Bend Lose battle and Creek War is almost over 700 Red Sticks are killed in one day

Chief Wm. McIntosh A Lower Creek chief First cousin to GA governor, George McIntosh Troup Takes thousands of dollars from GA gov’t to try to get Creeks and Cherokees to cede their land and move Is killed by Lower Creeks for signing treaty ceding Creek land

GA Gov. George McIntosh Troup… Demands US Gov’t honor their agreement and remove all Native Americans from GA

US Gov’t… Removes all Creeks to Oklahoma where descendents live today

The Seminoles The only one of 5 civilized tribes to live in Florida and south GA Take in escaped slaves from SC & GA and allow them to live free on Seminole land “Black Seminoles” occur from inter-marriage of escaped slaves with Seminole Indians

Seminole Indians (cont.) Gen. Andrew Jackson (1817) crosses into Florida and wins the First Seminole War Seminoles move southward to central Florida Seminoles lose Second Seminole War to US and 500 Seminoles escape to Florida Everglades

Cherokees Live in Mountains and avoid first Indian removal Sided with Britain in War of 1812 Live in independent towns along rivers and streams Seen as most “civilized” due to adopting more ways of life of whites

New Echota Capital of Cherokee nation Near Calhoun, GA Where Sequoyah (George Guess) lived and wrote the Cherokee syllabary and The Cherokee Phoenix (bilingual Cherokee newspaper)

New Echota US gov’t accepts Cherokee gov’t, but, GA gov’t does NOT…

As Cherokee leaders go to Washington, DC to ask for help… Gen. Andrew Jackson becomes US President (1829) and tells his “…red children to move west.” Remember, Pres. Jackson had fought vs. Native Americans much of his life

Cherokee Chief Speckled Snake replies… ‘…the Cherokees no longer trust President Jackson or the US government…they had made many treaties and keep none…’

First US Gold Rush, 1829 On Cherokee land In Dahlonega, GA Helps to cause removal of Cherokees from GA Cherokees ask US Gov’t for help to keep white miners off Cherokee land US Gov’t helps and GA gov’t is angry

GA gov’t angry with US gov’t… Because US gov’t is seen as interfering in a state’s (GA) rights to govern itself STATES RRIGHTS will continue to be a disagreement among southern states and US Gov’t

Missionaries Help Cherokees Urge Cherokees to resist ceding their land Are jailed after GA law says ‘no whites can help Indians’ Are freed when US Supreme Court says GA law cannot be legal in Cherokee nation

GA gov’t & Pres. Andrew Jackson… Ignore the Supreme Court and continue to remove Cherokees from GA

The Cherokees split… Chief John Ross & most Cherokees Resist moving west Eventually driven from GA west to Oklahoma Major Ridge & Elias Boudinot (first editor of The Cherokee Phoenix) Agree to move west & sign treaty for $5 million

Trail of Tears 1838, Under Gen Winfield Scott, 15,000 GA Cherokees rounded up Forced to walk (in dead of winter) west to Oklahoma Thousands die

Trail of Tears Map Cherokee removal

Trail of Tears Map (2 of 2)