Relations between blacks and seminoles after removal

Abstract

The basic aim of this thesis is to describe and assess relations between Blacks and Seminoles from removal to the end of the frontier. After a brief Introduction recounting the history of Seminole-Black relations prior to removal and presenting the major themes contained in the text, Chapters One and Two describe the formation, development and ultimate demise of the alliance between the recalcitrant traditionalist Seminoles and the militant Blacks in the Indian Territory and Mexico. Chapter Three explains why many of the Seminole Blacks in Mexico returned to Texas and joined the U. S. army, and explores the nature and extent of their involvement in the Texas Indian Wars. Chapter Four traces the efforts of these Blacks to return to the Seminole nation and developments leading up to the establishment of two independent Seminole Black communities on the Texas Mexican frontier that have survived to the present day. Chapters Five and Six compare Seminole slavery after removal with the systems operating within the other Civilized tribes and argue that, while the experiences of the other slaveholding tribes were essentially similar, that of the Seminoles was fundamentally different. Chapter Seven describes the division of the tribe at the onset of the American Civil War and the experiences of the Seminoles and Blacks during the conflict. Chapter Eight traces the comparative success of Seminole reconstruction and the reasons behind it in arguing that the "peaceful co-existence" policy adopted by the Indians and Freedmen resulted in a golden age for the Seminole Blacks. The Conclusion briefly relates the history of Seminole-Black relations in the Twentieth Century and summarizes the argument put forward in the text.