Indian Removal and the Seminole Wars

The Indian Removal between 1830 and 1847 was part of the U.S. government policy that forced the displacement of Native Americans from their ancestral lands. The policy paved way for the removal of self-governing tribes from the eastern U.S. to the west of the Mississippi River. In this regard, self-governing tribes of Native Americans were moved from the eastern parts of the country to west of the Mississippi River. While the policy was implemented between the 1820s and 1830s, it was a culmination of earlier discussions on solutions to the issue of what to do with Indians in the eastern part of the country (Calloway p.12). Americans considered several options including assimilating Indians into American society, safeguarding them in their ancestral homelands, or moving them to more distant lands.

The Seminole Wars were essentially military conflicts that took place in Florida during the early 1700s. These three related military conflicts were between the Seminole (citizens of a Native American nation) and the United States. One of the reasons for the Seminole Wars was the increased tensions that emerged between Seminoles living in Southwest Florida and the increasing number of settlers. The other reasons included disputes over trade, land, and slavery. The United States wanted the land occupied by Seminoles and wanted Seminoles to exclusively trade with them and not with other countries.

Billy Powell Osceola, Black Drink Singer was one of the important leaders in the Seminole tribe (Josephy, Jr. p.175). He played a key role in the Second Seminal War as he led his tribe to resist efforts by the U.S. Army to forcibly remove them from their ancestral homelands. As a capable leader, Osceola was tactful and marshalled his tribe to successfully ambush U.S. soldiers. He employed different tactics to lead his followers to successfully ambush U.S. soldiers and elude multiple troops.

Native American Resistance During the U.S. Civil War

The Civil War was characterized by Indian Wars including the Dakota War, the Cheyenne-Arapaho War, Sand Creek Massacre, and Red Clouds War (Addis, p.4). It is estimated that nearly 20,000 Native Americans served in the Confederate and...…inclusion in the wars provided manpower to both sides. American Indians participation in the wars was part of their resistance as evident in their involvement in the Iroquois Confederation. They participated in the Iroquois Confederation as a show of unity against invasion. This confederation was one of the most complex military threats faced by European settlers. Additionally, American Indians fueled the establishment of British colonies during the wars by providing necessary materials and supplies like hides, skins, and food.

The Pan-Indian resistance movements of Pontiac and Tecumseh were part of the American Indians struggle against the new ways of life introduced by Europeans. These resistance movements emerged as a means for American Indians to hold on to their common traditional way of life (Leahy & Wilson, p.1). Both movements promoted Pan-Indianism as an ideology and survival strategy against Europeans. The two movements had similar outcomes in terms of uniting tribal people but were unsuccessful in their military efforts to prevent White expansion. However, Tecumseh united more people that Pontiac by choosing to ally their confederacy with the British (Josephy, Jr. p.130).…