Conflict over Indian lands The Creek Indians

Conflicting views For Native Americans an individual could no more own land than they could own air or rivers. White settlers saw land as they saw a house or furniture, land was something that could be bought, sold, and inherited.

Was this white guy really an Indian chief?

Decent traced through the mother Born to European men and their Native American wives, they were fully accepted as members of their mother’s tribe. As the Native Americans tried to understand white civilization, they turned to those who were educated and knew the ways of whites.

Common Language Because most Creeks spoke a variation of the Muscogean language, they were sometimes referred to as Muscogees.

The Creeks were divided The Upper Creeks lived in the northern half of Alabama. The Lower Creeks lived in western Georgia, southern Alabama, and northern Florida.

During the American Revolution some Creeks sided with the British After the war, white Georgians remembered this and demanded that the Creeks give up some of their land.

The Creeks were divided over what to do. Lower Creeks Upper Creeks Agreed to turn over territory to the whites. Led by chief Alexander McGillivray, they refused to give up land.

Fierce Fighting Ensues Fighting between McGillivray’s followers and white settlers on the border of the Creek nation almost became a full-scale war.

After the Yazoo land fraud the U.S. government played both sides Promises to Georgia In return for the land Georgia ceded, Georgia was to receive $1,250,000 and the promise to remove all Indians from the state as soon as reasonably possible. Promises to Native Americans In various treaties more or less promised to protect their lands from white takeover.

Why would Creek leaders cede their land? Money Goods

The War of 1812 (Also a civil war between the Creeks) Lower Creeks Upper Creeks Decided to stay friendly with the U.S. Saw this as a chance to get their lands back.

Fort Mims More than 1,000 Red Sticks overran this fort in southern Alabama, killing and scalping 500 people.

Horseshoe Bend Gen. Andrew Jackson killed about 700 Red Sticks in revenge for Fort Mims. Cherokee and Lower Creek Indians (led by chief William McIntosh) fought alongside Gen. Jackson.

Fort Jackson Gen. Jackson called on all Creeks desiring peace to meet him at Ft. Jackson. Jackson forced the Creeks to give up all their land in Georgia and a large area in eastern Alabama.

A traitor to their nation? Feb. 12, 1825 Chief McIntosh and a few followers signed a treaty ceding all Creek lands to the U.S. May 1, 1825 Creek warriors surrounded Acorn Bluff, McIntosh’s home and set it on fire. When he ran out of the house, he was shot down and stabbed to death.

Where are they today? The Muscogee (Creek) Indians were moved to Oklahoma. Many descendants of the Creeks still live there today.

The Seminoles Accepted escaped slaves from Georgia and South Carolina and allowed them to live on their lands inn freedom. Black Seminoles were fully accepted as tribal members.