Alliances Will Determine The Fate Of The Chickasaw Tribe

Most Americans have at least some vague image of the Trail of Tears, but not very many know of the events that led to that tragic removal of several thousand Indians from their homeland. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government, and Indians had to agree to removal to preserve their identity as tribes. Trail of Tears is an excellent snapshot of a particular situation and will be eye opening to those who are not familiar with the story of the southern tribes and their interactions with the burgeoning American population. The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that signifies the callousness of American policy makers toward American Indians in 1839 and 1839.

At Lancaster, British colonists forced the Iroquois to agree to land agreements, and they also forced the Iroquois to assist them in a war against the French, to which the Iroquois, like Onondaga orator Canassatego, were forced to say yes.

The Chickasaw Tribe was named after a Chickasaw Leader named Chikasha. The story is that two brothers Chata and Chickasha who were leaders and they split in different directions and the people that followed them was given the tribal name of Choctaw and Chickasaw.

With the end of the revolution came a new hope for women and their rights. Women like Deborah Sampson and Molly Pitcher participated in fighting (doc. A). Women were also standing up and speaking out, questioning their rights and putting men on the spot for not giving them fair treatment (doc.J). There was also opposition to slavery growing in the northern part of America and the banning of slavery was huge in fundamental changes(doc. H). There was some confusion with the Indians role in the Treaty of Paris, they were upset for not being included in the treaty because they thought they had made peace with everyone (doc.E). Despite their feelings in not being included in the treaty, the Chickasaw Chiefs were happy to know that the war was over and intended to keep the peace “as long as the Sun and Moon”. It was important that America was finally recognized and respected as the strong independent nation they fought for(doc.

While they had no official ally, they accepted bribes from both sides and profited. Additionally, in this first section of the chapter, the author informs the reader that Patriots took utilized Indian raids as propaganda opportunities to urge colonial unity. Even if the raids were carried out without British assistance, clever authors spun the stories to blame the mother country for the deaths of innocent Americans. By 1777, the British recognized that allying with the Natives was in their best interests and encouraged all tribes to raid Patriot settlements. The southern Indian nations hesitated, due to the recent defeat of the Cherokee in Georgia, but most of the northern nations agreed. Most Native American leaders thought the British would win the war and maintain trade relations with them. Additionally, the Indians wanted to regain the land they had lost to the colonists. Other Indians, however, saw the British as “the lesser of two evils”. Taylor writes that some saw the manipulative tendencies of the British and the fact that their strategies endangered Natives more than their own

The Britain militia had been continuously defeated. According to “INDIANCOUNTRYTODAY” they stated that the British were afraid of the French and their Indian allies because their attacks were brutal and they burned and destroyed settlements in their path (ICToday). The reason being because The French and Indians would use Indian-style guerrilla war tactics, and the British would use more organized war tactics such as lining up for the shots. Eventually, the French had demolished miles upon miles of settlement in Pittsburg. And at the time many people believed that the French did not care for the natives’ establishment.

The Cherokee tribe is known as one of the earliest and largest Indian tribe in North America. They are federally recognized even today among several states(museum). While they slowly became Americanized by the Europeans who came over to America, some still practice their typical Indian rituals publicly today. Most converted to Christianity and their government in Oklahoma is based off the American government with three branches. One would believe that the Trail of Tears could have completely vanquished these Indians but many made it through the horrendous trial and kept the Indian bloodline going even present day (Conley).

Tecumseh attempted to ally with many tribes, but did not have much success. Tecumseh has read many treaties, but he never signed one (Greenspan). He also made treaties and messages to tribes and governor Harrison. Tecumseh spoke to the Alabama creek Indians and allied with them (Tucker). Many tribes that he tried to join rejected him (Tucker). He allied with the British and pro British Indians to fight the Americans (Fixico). More than two dozen native nations participated

During the time of 1763-1775, one of the occurrences that happened to affect the colonists’ perception of the British was the French and Indian War. The war itself was not the main reason the colonists’ had trouble with the British, but the time after the war was the actual cause of eventual trouble. During the war, the British fought with France around the Ohio valley for the control of land. The Ohio valley was very important to both of the empires, because of the land value and the strategic location it held in the years to come. Both had their struggles especially with the Native Americans that called this area their home. Most of the Native Americans sided with either the British or the French because they thought that if they had sided with

After the Barbary wars were over in 1806, American sailors were often under threat of being impressed by the British men of war to support their navy during the Napoleonic Wars. This caused much outrage throughout all of America. Another cause of increased tensions was the increased frequency of conflicts between the white settlers in western lands with the Native Americans. Many of the indians would go to British Canada or Spanish Florida to seek assistance in fighting against the Americans. The British were especially happy to assist inirectly at the very least. The convergence of many of the indian tribes under Tecumseh united the Americans in the northern and southern frontiers into a group known as the War Hawks that were unified in defense of their values and the western expansion of the United States. It was at this point that the idea of

The Cherokee are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Although they were not considered states at this time, they would have been in present day Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. However, in 1938 the Cherokees found an abundant amount of gold which left the United States in a scramble. Thus, President Johnson signed the removal act, which forced the Cherokees East of the Mississippi into the Great Plains and then went into dig up gold. The Cherokees thrived in the Great Plains, becoming farmers and excellent hunters. They settled along the Arkansas River, becoming fisherman. Just as it happened in 1938 the Cherokees were eventually forced off their lands and into the Oregon Territory. This trail they walked along was called the trail of tears, many Cherokees died because of food deprivation or various diseases. Today, this Trail of Tears is seen as the worst displays of discrimination in the history of the United States. Thus, we gave the Cherokees Reservations to live on in the Western United States. This journey they faced is arguably the hardest journey any tribe has ever faced and the way the Cherokees overcame this and turned their tribe into what it is today is what makes it special.

The arrival of the ‘foreigners’, as referred to by the Native Americans, turned a new stone in Native American diplomacy. No longer did they have to only deal with neighboring tribes, as they were forced to endeavor into politics with strangers who were looking to take their land. The first relationship between the pilgrims and the Native Americans began with the Wampanoag tribe. The relations between the two groups paved the view that the pilgrims had towards the Indians. The decently friendly relationship that stood between the two groups was short lived as the pilgrims felt that the indians were getting in the way of their expansion; and shortly after the friendship ceased to exist (Bell, 37).

“So many people think that the revolutionary started at Lexington and Concord. But George Washington wouldn’t have been on the national stage without the events that happened in Western Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War”- Tom Headley. The quote represents how important the struggle between the years of 1754 and 1763 was. It set up the entire revolutionary war. The French and Indian War was fought by the British and their colonies against the French and Indians. The war took place in North Eastern America and Europe. The British thought that the Ohio River Valley was rightfully theirs because the area was important for trading so they attacked the French. Little did they know that the French and Indians would fight with Guerilla warfare.

(Davidson p.104) In the first policy changes, Pitt recalled Campbell and pledged to respect the colonial officers, he formed new alliances with the native Indian tribes. In addition, Pitt promised the colonies that London or England would bear the cost of the war. (Davidson p.104) These policies changes reenergized the war efforts and turned the tide in the war. Forming new alliances and opening diplomatic relations with native Indians was an imperative element for British victory.

Most Americans have at least some vague understanding of the Trail of Tears, but not many know about the events that led to that tragic removal of thousands of Indians from their homeland. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government. The Indians had to agree to removal to maintain their tribe identities. Trail of Tears is an excellent example of a particular situation and will be eye opening to those who are not familiar with the story of the southern tribes and their interactions with the rapidly growing American population. The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that indicates the callousness, insensitivity, and cruelty of American government toward American Indians in 1839 and 1839.