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Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - American History seminole indians seminole indians Effects on European Settlers and The United States. 1528-Spain lands in Florida for first time (Cabeza de Vaca), 1819-Spain cedes Florida to the United States. 1835-Osceola is captured by Andrew Jackson. 1838-Osceola dies in Federal Prison. 1907-Oklahoma Enters the union with most of the residents from the southeast part of In June of 1528 Cabeza de Vaca and the Spanish came to what is now known as Florida for the first of many trips. They came capturing the women and children along with one governor of the Seminole Tribe. The Seminole asked for their tribe member’s back. Spain gave them the women and children but not the governor. Spain responded by attacking and chasing the Indians across the swamps killing only one Indian. The Spanish attacked once again and only killed one Indian again. The Spanish fled to their boats escaping Florida. The Seminole had mounted their first of many defenses against European Settlers that would wreak havoc on The United States of America in the 19th century. Who are these light skinned people who come tour land They arrest our chief and take away our women and children We ask for our people back, and they gave us our women and children, but not our chief Then they attack us, not defeating us; they flee in terror, killing one man They say our land and our people are poor They attacked us once more but our strong warriors held up They fled to their ships and departed These light skinned men were foolish to try to push us around on our land They killed two of our tribe members and a Spanish commander in battle This poem was called Foolish White People and was inspired by Alvarez Nunez Cabeza de Vaca from Relation of Alvarez Nunez Cabeza de Vaca. Seminole is a word that means "wild" or "those who camp at distances." It is equal to the American word "frontiersman." The Seminole were a tribe that broke off from the Creek civilization of Georgia. The Seminole were from the southeast region of the United States. The tribe lived in houses called chickees (see drawing one) When white people came to colonize, as time went on, they referred to the Seminole tribe as part of the "Five Civilized Tribes." The other four tribes were the Choctaws, the Chickasaws, the Creek, and the Cherokee. The tribes got this name because of the way they adapted to the white man ways so quickly. Now we fast forward in time to a later date after the American Revolution. The year is 1817, the Americans had crossed the Georgia-Florida border into the Spanish territory of Florida. They came to arrest a Seminole chief. Warfare broke out and Andrew Jackson invaded the Spanish Florida. He raided and burned down Seminole villages. The United States ordered Spain to assist in the arrest of the chief or cede the Florida territory to the United States. In 1819 the Spanish cede Florida to the United States. Andrew Jackson and the Seminole signed a treaty signing lands in northern Florida over to the United States. Soon a young Seminole would stand up for his tribe, Osceola, a patriot took over at chief with Billy Bowlegs. He was another chief at the time fighting for the Seminole. Osceola’s name means black drink singer. He would fight in the Second Seminole War in the 1830’s. He would use guerilla tactics against the United States army. Osceola would defeat Andrew Jackson in the swamps for many years before his capture. In 1835 after several disastrous defeats Andrew Jackson used dishonorable tactics to capture Osceola. He raised the white flag at a Fort in northern Florida. Osceola knowing this was a surrender came out of the swamps to claim victory. When the Seminole warriors arrived in the fort the United States raised their weapons and captured Osceola. Jackson tried to make Osceola sign a treaty that would move the Seminole to Oklahoma, with the other southeastern tribes, but Osceola threw the pen into the paper and spilled the ink. The pen ripped a hole in the treaty and the ink left black all over it. Osceola was put in federal prison. Billy Bowlegs, the other chief, dragged the war on as long as he and his people could. Then In 1842 the United States backed out of the war because of the cost. It had cost the United States two thousand soldiers and sixty million dollars. They ended up moving three thousand Seminole by force to the reservations in Oklahoma. That still left over half the tribe in Florida where their descendants still live today. It cost the Americans twenty thousand dollars for every Seminole the country successfully moved to Oklahoma. For every two American soldiers killed the United States moved three Seminole. The Seminole were the last tribe moved from the southeast region of the United States onto reservations. On January sixteenth 1907 Oklahoma officially entered the Union. Most of the southeast tribes were herded into the state and with a few white settlers they wrote a constitution. Dear Journal, January 29, 1838 It has been many moons since Andrew Jackson’s treachery. I am probably watching one of my last moons in this federal prison. These guards are indignant and abusive in this retched hellhole. I have heard rumors that my people are still fighting the war in my honor. Let it continue for many more moons. Someday I will get out of this place and see my people living in peace once again. I am still young and I can feel the sun setting on my life already. The few moons I have left will be spent in this house of hell. The guards are telling us it is time to lay our heads and rest for this moon. If this is my last moon may my spirit always be with my people. Letter to Osceola from a fellow tribe member: Dear Osceola January 30, 1838 It has been many moons since the federal government attacked us. Chief Billy Bowlegs says the government wants to back out. That would mean we win the war. I don’t think they will because they are so close to victory. I heard we have cost the government fifteen hundred soldiers lives. They have cost us two hundred of our brothers and sisters. I am tired of fighting this war but we are fighting for you and our lands, our pride, we will not lose this war. The chief says that the government has spent. They are capturing our men and the one they capture is moved onto reservations. The government has sent us letters to stop this war and move onto the reservations. They say it is better there than it is here. I don’t believe them. I am happy right here with our mother. Father was killed in the war and he died for you. We hope you will come back to the tribe soon. To whom it may concern March 5,1939 We regret to inform you that on January 30,1938 your brother Osceola died in this Federal prison in Georgia. We are returning your letter you sent. Have a good day. The second Seminole war cost to the United States and the Seminole tribe. Seminole moved after war U.S money cost Cost per Seminole moved Americans killed Cost compared to other American wars Second Seminole Seminole tribe of Florida 3,000 Bibliography: Word Count: 1341
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