American Indians and Slavery
Tribal laws established the legitimacy of slavery and regulated relations in the races of the “Five Indian Tribes”
Southern Indians enslaved over 8,000 Africans who comprised 14% of the total population
Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes most committed to slavery and greatest supporters of the Confederacy
Seminole tribe was ambivalent
Creeks and Cherokees were divided over slavery and secession from the United States
Keetoowah Society: cultural, conservative Cherokees who opposed slavery and sided with the North
August 16, 1861, New York Times “The question of slavery in the Indian Territory and in the states to be created out of the territories of the United States, brought about the dissolution of the Union, and the present Civil War."
Southern Indians enslaved over 8,000 Africans who comprised 14% of the total population
Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes most committed to slavery and greatest supporters of the Confederacy
Seminole tribe was ambivalent
Creeks and Cherokees were divided over slavery and secession from the United States
Keetoowah Society: cultural, conservative Cherokees who opposed slavery and sided with the North
August 16, 1861, New York Times “The question of slavery in the Indian Territory and in the states to be created out of the territories of the United States, brought about the dissolution of the Union, and the present Civil War."
All five nations agreed to emancipate their slaves, but they continue to debate the tribal rights of the freedmen's descendants even today, an enduring legacy of the Civil War." Research Division, Oklahoma Historical Society