Significance Of The Second Seminole War

Throughout its history, the United States has claimed to be a democracy that fights for freedom for all. Americans have opposed imperialistic states and have fought against empires. However, based on specific definitions of imperialism, U.S. leaders have been guilty of fighting multiple wars to build their empire, even if their explicit reasons for doing so suggest otherwise. Examples of these imperialistic trends include American actions during the First Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, and the annexation of the Philippines.

government has unspecified and unorganized policies, which were unprotected for Native Americans who lived in the west because of all the new coming Americans. During westward expansion, a majority of who moved were whites, who didn’t know the Native Americans who already lived in the west. The Natives felt their land was being conquered, because of the U.S government policies(Louisana Purchase & Homestead Act) and the whites not wanting them to be there, which lead to fighting between the Natives and the whites. These acts and policies such as the Indian Removal Act often resulted in violated treaties and violence. The Indian Removal Act was the removal of Native American homes and tribes. “This also confines the Indians to still narrower limits, destroys that game which in their normal state, and constitutes their principal means of subsistence.” Resulting in westward expansion, Native Americans began rapidly decreasing in the area by wars and new diseases caught by new coming

Treaty of Fort Gibson - Seminole tribes would be moved into the western part of the creek nation.

Jackson gained the national glory and recognition during his active participation in the War of 1812, especially when he won the battle of the New Orleans. At the same time, he participated in the Creek Campaign. Later on, Jackson's army was then sent to Florida where he fought against Seminole Indians which ended up with his victory and led directly to the treaty which formally transferred Florida from Spain to the United States.

In 1830, President Andrew Jackson addressed Congress stating two Native tribes had accepted the terms of the Indian Removal Act. Jackson said he hoped the two tribes consent would set an example for the other tribes to leave because he thought leaving was an advantage for them. He explained, “It puts an end to all possible danger of collision between the authorities of the General and State governments on account of the Indians.” The two different civilizations didn’t agree, which lead to violent conflicts that lasted centuries. For thirty years, the United States had tried to come to find a way to get the two civilizations reach an agreement. The Indian Removal Act became the United States government’s solution that ended the violent encounters. This Act removed the Natives from northern Tennessee, southern Louisiana, western Alabama and the state of Mississippi, which helped the United

In order to understand the significance of the events preceding the Second Seminole War, one must first examine the First Seminole War. Frustrated with Seminole protection of runaway slaves, Andrew Jackson and more than three thousand men entered northern Florida in 1816 and began to decimate Seminole populations. Despite most of these campaigns being unsanctioned by the United States government and protested by the British and the Spanish, Jackson was received as a war hero throughout the nation and protected from punitive measures. The refusal of the government to punish Jackson for the injustices led to foreign hostilities with both Britain and Spain. The Adam-Onis Treaty of 1819

Before the Eastern World knew that the America’s were there, natives to the American lands were already here and thriving. As the land was discovered, more and more people from the European side of the Hemisphere traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to stake a claim for land in this newfound world. Throughout these Europeans settling in, and making new homes and lives for themselves these natives stayed to their own ways, and were slowly pushed westward. The problems between the Indians and now Americans were brought to the forefront as the population of the states grew, and there was a need for expansion. When the Louisiana Purchase was struck between the United States and France, the land previously inhabited by the natives were now under the control of the United States government. As the population continued to climb in numbers, individuals along with the United States government decided to take actions for the removal of these natives. Throughout the book, The Long, Bitter Trail, Andrew Jackson and the Indians by: Anthony F.C. Wallace, the events leading up to, during, and the effects of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Individuals such as Andrew Jackson along with the government used different methods to remove these Indians from the southeastern lands of the United States. Starting in the beginning of the 1800’s,

There were several motives for the removal of the Indians from their lands, to include racism and land lust. Since they first arrived, the white Americans hadn’t been too fond of the Native Americans. They were thought to be highly uncivilized and they had to go. In his letter to Congress addressing the removal of the Indian tribes, President Jackson

The Indian Removal Act, inspired by Andrew Jackson; the 7th president of the US and the enhanced ambition for American settlers to find more land in the southwestern regions of North America. The Indian Removal Act enabled Jackson the power of negotiating removal treaties with Indian tribes east of the Mississippi. Among these tribes were: Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaws and Seminoles. Very few authenticated traits were signed. The Choctaws were the only tribe to agree without any issues. All other attempts resulted in War and blood shed for both white settlers and Indians. The conflict with the U.S. and Indians lasted up until 1837. In 1838 & 1839 Jackson forced the relocation of the remaining Cherokee Indians;

The Second Seminole War followed the refusal of most Seminoles to abandon the reservation that had been established for them north of Lake Okeechobee and to relocate west of the Mississippi. The Seminoles were forced off their traditional lands in Florida and into the Indian Territory (near present day Oklahoma). The Treaty of Payne's Landing stated that the Seminoles had 3 years to relocate to Mississippi. In the Second Seminole war the Seminole leader died in prison because he was captured.

The Creek signed the Treaty of Cusseta in 1832, which gave them land east of the Mississippi river, but they were also allowed to keep part of their original land. Problems developed when white settlers moved onto their land in the west. Creek retaliated by attacking them and this led to the Second Creek War. The government did nothing to stop the settlers from taking Creek land. In 1837, the government sent the military to take care of the problem by forcing the Creek to move. The Creek never agreed to move and were not compensated for the land they lost (Peppas 2013,

Indians and runaway slaves refused to relocate and the second Seminole war saw fierce guerrilla style actions from 1835 to 1842. Disease , malnutrition , and warfare combined with the poor lands set aside as reservations to reduce the Indian population of that state from 150,000 in 1845 to 35,000 in 1860.

of a forced migration. In 1857, the policy of placing Native Americans on reservations began. In essence, this involved the government supplying the Native Americans with food and other necessities in return for the Native Americans to be confined in specified areas. Much of the Native American land base was sold of to white settlers. Some groups refused to be constricted in this way.

In 1830, congress passed The Indian Removal Act, which became a law 2 days later by President Andrew Jackson. The law was to reach a fairly, voluntarily, and peacefully agreement for the Indians to move. It didn’t permit the president to persuade them unwillingly to give up their land by using force. But, “President Jackson and his government

Action was necessary and accepted as rational by the American people because of their unsustainable racism and greed for land to expand their settlements. The intent was not to burden the Native Americans, but “Jackson fully expected the Indians to thrive in their new surroundings, educate their children, acquire the skills of white civilization so as to improve their living conditions, and become citizens of the United States”(Remini 213). In order to become citizens of the United States the Indians were expected to conform to the societal normalities of the white citizens. Jackson put the removal act in place to diffuse conflict and encourage Native Americans to accept the American way of life as their new culture. The idea was to act in the most humane manner that would help both sides, not necessarily to disregard the Indians heritage or way of life.