Seminole Wars Background First Seminole War Second Seminole War

The Seminole are a Floridian Native American tribe. The tribe was founded in the early 1700s when groups of Lower Creek migrated into the area from Georgia and Alabama. The region was nominally claimed by Spain, who allowed the Seminole to establish themselves to form a buffer between the Spanish and the British territories. From the 1770s, the name Seminole came to be attached to the tribes, meaning "runaway." Florida came British control, but reverted to Spain after the American Revolutionary War.

2 First Seminole War

The First Seminole War was started with the invasion of eastern Florida by U.S. Army forces under the command of General Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson ( March 15, 1767 June 8, 1845) was the seventh President of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837. Sometimes nicknamed "Old Hickory," Jackson was the first president not born an aristocrat. Early life Andrew Jackson's Scotch-Irish pa. White settlers had previously attacked the Seminole and the Seminole had retaliated. The acceptance of runaway slaves by the Seminole was another sore point. The Seminole fort at ApalachicolaApalachicola is a city located in Franklin County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,334. It is the county seat of Franklin County 6. History A trading post called Cottonton was located on the current site of Apalachicol, the so-called Negro Fort , had been razed in July 1816Events March 25 Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck dies and is succeeded by the later Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg, his son and founder of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg., but the war is usually dated from the arrival of Jackson in December, 1817. Jackson's forces captured St. Mark's on April 7April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). There are 268 days remaining. Events 529 first draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I 1348 Char and Pensacola on May 24May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). There are 221 days remaining. Events 1153 Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland. 1218 The Fifth Crusade leaves for Egypt. 1430 Joan of Arc is captured at Compiegne. 1487 Im, 1818. The campaign secured American control of eastern Florida, still nominally claimed by Spain.

In 1818, James MonroeJames Monroe Order 5th President Term of Office March 4, 1817 March 3, 1825 Followed James Madison Succeeded by John Quincy Adams Date of Birth April 28, 1758 Place of Birth Westmoreland County, Virginia Date of Death July 4, 1831 Place of Death New York's Secretary of State John Quincy Adams defined the American position on this issue. Adams accused Spain of breaking the Pinckney treaty by failing to control the Seminoles, and refused to apologize for Jackson's actions.

3 Second Seminole War

The U.S. gained formal control of Florida in 1821 through the Adams-Onis Treaty, which had taken weeks for Luis de Onis (Spain's representative in Washington) and Adams to work out. The American government immediately started efforts to displace the Seminoles, encouraging them to join other tribes in the Indian Territories (around modern Oklahoma). Following the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, some of the tribespeople signed the Treaty of Payne's Landing in May 1832 and began the move, but others retreated into the Everglades. The treaty required all Seminole to move out of Florida by May of 1835, and the U.S. Army arrived in the territory in early 1835 to enforce the treaty.

The Second Seminole War was fought by the Seminole as guerillas. There were perhaps 3,000-4,000 Seminole warriors commanded by head chief Micanopy , but led and inspired by Osceola. The U.S. Army eventually committed 200,000 soldiers to the conflict. The U.S. government became increasingly frustrated and correspondingly treacherous -- Osceola was captured at peace negotiations during a truce, and died in prison at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina in 1838. The American forces began to successfully combat the Seminole tactics under William J. Worth from 1841. Seminole villages were destroyed and their crops burned. Threatened with starvation, the conflict came to an untidy end on August 14, 1842, although no peace treaty was ever signed. Around 1,500 U.S. soldiers had been killed.

The US government is estimated to have spent about $20,000,000 on the war, at the time an astronomical sum. Many Indians were forcibly exiled to Creek lands west of the Mississippi; others retreated into the Everglades. In the end, the US government gave up trying to subjugate the Seminole in their Everglades redoubts and left the remaining Seminole in peace.

4 Third Seminole War

The Third Seminole War was the final clash over land between the Seminole and white settlers. The main Seminole leader was Billy Bowlegs . By the time the conflict was declared finished on May 8, 1858 there were fewer than 200 Seminole in Florida -- and when Bowlegs surrendered, he had only forty warriors with him.

5 See Also

6 External link

American Military Strategy In The Second Seminole War

Native American wars Florida history

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1 Background