What caused the Seminole Indians to resist the U.S. in the Seminole wars?
The Seminole Indians resisted the U.S. in the Seminole wars because they wanted to stay in their land and didn't want to lose all their shelter, supplies, basic needs for living etc. Not just that, but also they were kicked out of their land multiple times.
In the first Seminole War, Andrew Jackson and his troops captured Natives. They then attacked Spanish Florida and defeated them. A treaty was signed, called the Adams-Onís Treaty. This gave the U.S. East Florida while the Seminoles got Texas.
The Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830 by the Congress. Andrew Jackson wanted the Seminole Indians' land for farming so the act was passed to give farmers more space for farming. The act was passed to move Indians to present-day Oklahoma.
The Choctaw were the first to be sent to the Indian Territory. The Mississippi legislature destroyed the Choctaw government and then forced their leaders to sign the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. This treaty gave more than 7.5 million acres of their land to the states. The Choctaw were forced to travel on a cold winter, where ,most of them died.
The Cherokee tried to avoid conflicts and removal by adopting American customs. They made schools for Cherokee children to read and write. They also developed their own government after the U.S. Constitution with an election system, court system, and a bicameral council. The adoption of American culture did not help. Georgia's leaders became prepared to remove them. In response, they sued the state. They even had their own case, known as Worcester vs. Georgia, which stated that only the federal government had the power over Natives. However, Georgia ignored this and removed them. Their awful journey was known as The Trail of Tears, where one fourth of them died.
Other Natives also resisted U.S. troops. Chief Black Hawk, leader of the Fox and Sauk Indians, led his people to protect their land in Illinois. In 1832, they were running out of food and shelter and were forced to leave.
In Florida, leaders were forced to sign a removal treaty but they ignored it. Leader Osceola told his people to resist, which led to the 2nd Seminole War. He was captured and died in prison. His people continued fighting and some died. U.S. officials decided to give up and stop fighting, so small groups of Seminoles stayed there.
