Indians in Indian Territory had to begin a new life:

• Many sick
• Most possessions left in east
• Few tools and little shelter

Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties

Treaties By Tribe Name

Treaties By Year

• U.S. military forts were built to maintain order (military became more important)
  • Ft. Coffee - near Ft. Smith
  • Ft. Holmes - near Holdenville
  • Ft. Washita - built to protect Choctaw and Chickasaw from attacks of Plain Indians to west
  • Ft. Gibson was main fort

• No established towns
• Goods promised by U.S. did not arrive
• Tribes charge high prices by traders
• Tribes fought among themselves
  • Leaders who signed treaties often killed
    • Cherokee John Ridge and Elias Boudinot were killed on the same day.
    • Stand Waite escaped an attempt on his life.
  • Caused split among tribes
  • Some Cherokee
    • Stand Waite - chief
    • John Ross - chief

• Farmer - would settle near river
• Merchants - Lost their business after removal, had to find new trading relationships.
• Rivers only way of transportation
• Merchants set up trading area at
  • Chouteau
  • Tahlequah
  • Doaksville

Ferry - large boat to carry passengers, goods, and vehicles across rivers.

Indian Plantations - large farm or estate (Could sell homes but not the land. It belonged to the tribe.)

• Slaves worked:
  • Clearing fields
  • planting cotton
  • sweet potatoes and corn
  • raising cattle and horses
• Robert Love - Chickasaw
  • 2 plantations and 200 slaves
  • Shipped cotton on steamboats to New Orleans
• Robert M. Jones - Choctaw
  • 5 plantations and 500 slaves
  • Owned fleet of steamships

Governing the people - Borrowed ideas from white culture tried to keep as much of their own culture as possible.

Missionaries on the frontier:

• One who does religious work in different area
• Most major denominations: Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterians
• Group with same religious beliefs
• Not liked by traders - missionaries supported the Temperance Movement - anti-liquor
• Many came during removal
• Samuel Worcestor - most famous, was in prison in Georgia for helping Indians

1821 - Union Mission - 1st school - 4 Osage kids

• Ran by Rev Chapman
• Had 1st printing press in Territory - 1835

• Some held classes during day and then kids went back home
• Some were boarding schools
• Strict rules
  • Punished for using own language
  • Hair cut
  • White style clothing
  • Busy doing chores
  • Went to church each day
• Most parents sent kids for food and safety

1859 - The Comanche brought from Texas most livestock and possessions lost in move

• The Quapaw given up lands on Arkansas River
• First lands destroyed by floods
• Given land near Seneca Indians -
  • Quapaw built homes and farms, later found they were on Seneca land and forced to move again
  • Some moved to Choctaw Nation
  • Some moved into Creek nation
  • 1852 - given land in Northeast Indian Territory

1850's - Wyandot Indians, once most powerful in Ohio area, moved into Northeast Indian Territory

Cherokee

• Passed constitution in 1839
• 3 branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial
• Capital at Executive, Legislative, and Judicial
• Capital at Tahlequah
• 1844 - Cherokee Advocate - 1st newspaper in Territory - printed in Cherokee and English
• 1851 - 2 schools opened near Park Hill - First public high schools
  • National Male Seminary
  • National Female Seminary

• Capital at Okmulgee
• Government divided into 3 branches
• Nation divided into 6 districts: each had Judge, Prosecuting Attorney, and light horsemen (police)
• Kids went to missionary schools

• Divided into 4 districts
• Capital - Doaksville (near Red River)
• 1848 - Choctaw Telegraph and 1850 Choctaw Intelligencer - newspapers

• Constitution written in 1856
• Capital at Tishomingo