Everything about The Five Civilized Tribes totally explained
The
Five Civilized Tribes is the term applied to five
Native American nations, the
Cherokee,
Chickasaw,
Choctaw,
Creek, and
Seminole, considered civilized by white settlers during that time period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good relations with their neighbors. The process of cultural transformation was proposed by
George Washington and
Henry Knox; the Cherokee and Choctaw were successful at integrating European-American culture. The Five Civilized Tribes lived in the
Southeastern United States before their relocation to other parts of the country, especially the future state of
Oklahoma.
The tribes were relocated from their homes east of the
Mississippi River during the
series of removals, authorized by federal legislation, over several decades and moved to what was then called
Indian Territory and is now the eastern portion of the state of Oklahoma. The most infamous removal was the
Trail of Tears of
1838, in which President
Martin Van Buren enforced the highly contentious
Treaty of New Echota with the
Cherokee Nation to exchange their property for land out west.
The Five Tribes were divided during the
American Civil War about which side to support. The Choctaw and Chickasaw fought predominantly on the
Confederate side, while the Creek, Seminole, and especially the Cherokee were split between the
Union and the Confederacy. The Cherokee fought a civil war within their own nation between those who supported the opposing sides.
Once the tribes had been relocated to Indian Territory, the United States government promised that their lands would be free of white settlement. Some settlers violated that agreement with impunity even before
1893, when the government opened up the "
Cherokee Strip" to outside settlement by the Oklahoma
Land Run. In
1907, the territories of
Oklahoma and Indian Territory were merged into the new state of Oklahoma; all Five Civilized Tribes have a major presence there today.
The Experiment of Civilizing
George Washington and
Henry Knox proposed the cultural transformation of Native Americans. Washington believed that Native Americans were equals but that their society was inferior. He formulated a policy to encourage the "civilizing" process, and
Thomas Jefferson continued it. Noted Andrew Jackson historian Robert Remini wrote "they presumed that once the Indians adopted the practice of private property, built homes, farmed, educated their children, and embraced Christianity, these Native Americans would win acceptance from white Americans." Washington's six-point plan included impartial justice toward Indians; regulated buying of Indian lands; promotion of commerce; promotion of experiments to
civilize or improve Indian society; presidential authority to give
presents; and punishing those who violated Indian rights. The government appointed agents, like
Benjamin Hawkins, to live among the Indians and to teach them, through example and instruction, how to live like whites.
Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. Modern Muscogees live primarily in
Oklahoma,
Alabama,
Georgia, and
Florida. Their language,
Mvskoke, is a member of the Creek branch of the
Muskogean language family. The
Seminole are close kin to the Muscogee and speak a Creek language as well. The Creeks are one of the
Five Civilized Tribes.
Seminole
Native American people originally of
Florida and now residing in Florida and
Oklahoma. The Seminole nation came into existence in the 18th century and was composed of Native Americans from
Georgia,
Mississippi, and
Alabama, most significantly the
Creek Nation, as well as
African Americans who escaped from
slavery in
South Carolina and Georgia. While roughly 3,000 Seminoles were forced west of the
Mississippi River, including the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, who picked up new members along their way, approximately 300 to 500 Seminoles stayed and fought in and around the
Everglades of Florida. In a series of
wars against the Seminoles in Florida, about 1,500 U.S. soldiers died. The Seminoles never surrendered to the
United States government, hence, the Seminoles of Florida call themselves the "Unconquered People."
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