Essay about The Plight of the Black Seminoles - 1493 Words

The Plight of the Black Seminoles Scattered throughout the Southwest and into Northern Mexico, descendants of the Black Seminoles and Maroons are living in this modern world today. Over one hundred years ago, the U.S. government seemed determined to systematically eliminate the Native Americans and manipulate the descendants of the Black slaves. That imperialistic attitude allowed the policies of the U.S. government to treat groups of people with less respect and concern than they treated their livestock. To understand the plight of the Black Seminoles one has to look back in history to slavery days of the Southern states, and at tribal changes of the Florida Natives. At the beginning of the eighteenth century Native Americans†¦show more content†¦A lot of their time was spent hunting and fishing. In contrast to the Anglo-American society, Black Seminoles (and Native Americans) did not aspire to subdue or conquer nature, but to be a part of the natural world (Moquin 1). American settlers, backed by the U.S. Army, began the attempt to relocate the Native Americans in order to gain more land. The Black Seminoles resisted relocation by the land hungry American settlers because if they were to relocate, they could lose their homes, their independence, and their freedom (Mulroy 4). Resistance began. African Americans figured prominently as military allies and increasingly as members of the Seminole community. Blacks participated in the First Seminole War (1817-1818), the Second Seminole War (1835-1842)/ and the Third Seminole War (1855-1858), fighting with Seminole Indians against the United States Army (Littlefield 15). The Trail of Tears began in 1830. It was the forced removal of Native Americans (Black Seminoles among them) from the Southeast portion of the U.S. to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) by the Federal Government. The Indian Removal Act was passed by congress and authorized by President Jackson (Markowitz 155). After a heartless roundup of Seminole families, the deadly journey began. They were herded like cattle by the hated Bluecoats. The tribe members did not have adequate food or blankets, and many died of starvation and disease (Markowitz 214). OthersShow MoreRelatedThe Sorrow of the Trail of Tears Essay1527 Words   |  7 Pagesgovernment supported, and mandated Act. It was known, officially, as the Indian Removal Act of 1830. There were five major tribes affected by this act. The affected tribes were: the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muskogee Creek, and finally, the Seminole. The tribes occupied the lands of present day North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. Each of these tribes had independent governing bodies, within the land area, which was part of the incorporated United States. The first tribeRead MoreMedia Coverage of Sports, Questions and Answers894 Words   |  4 PagesAbove the title lies the understory of the magazine dealing with how the Florida State Seminoles won the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title game over the South Eastern Conference (SEC). The title line is ‘BCS Thriller: How the ‘Noles Toppled the SEC’ with the words ‘BCS Thriller and ‘Noles’ and the author in bold. Along the left side of the cover lies the feature story. Above the feature title lays a black box with the words ‘The NFL Playoffs’. Below the box the feature title reads ‘KnowshonRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of The Indian Removal1518 Words   |  7 Pagessedentary farmers. The problem was that the culture of the Indians was that the women did the farming and the men hunted and the Indians wanted nothing to do with this. The white settlers saw this as unwilling to change, causing indifference to the plight of the Indians. When the government enacted the ordinances of 1784-1787, sets the terms of white settlements in the west. This caused several of the tribes to resist the action of taking more of their land and this went on for more than ten yearsRead MoreGeoncide Against Native Americans2048 Words   |  9 Pagesreservations. As many as 15,000 Cherokee were forced from their homes in Mississippi. During this journey to present day Oklahoma, known as the Trail of Tears, over 4000 Cherokee people lost their lives. The four remaining Indian nations consisting of the Seminoles, the Choctaw, the Creeks and the Chickasaws, soon followed suit. They faced many hardships from exhaustion and starvation to illness. The removal of Indians did not stop as the tribes were pushed westward. As the discovery of gold in California