Treaty of Cusseta

Treaty of Cusseta

to the United States.

Origins

The Treaty of Cusseta was one of several with the "Five Civilized Tribes", facilitated by the Indian Removal Act, that led to the deportation of native peoples in the South to the west. Between 1814 and 1830, Creek lands had been gradually ceded to the United States through treaties such as the Treaty of Fort Jackson and the Treaty of Washington (1826) until Creek territory was constrained to a strip in east central Alabama along the Georgia border.

Although treaty stipulations prohibited settlement of Creek lands, squatters moving into the territory were common and caused significant friction with tribe members. Tensions eventually resulted in a party of Creek warriors attacking and burning the town of Roanoke, Georgia. In response, federal officials met with Creek leaders in the Creek village of Cusseta (Kasihta) on the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. (Cusseta was sited on the current location of Lawson Army Airfield in Fort Benning.) The Creeks were compelled to agree to federal terms as outlined in the Treaty of Cusseta. The treaty was later signed in Washington, D.C..

Terms

The Treaty of Cusseta required that the Creek nation relinquish all claims to land east of the Mississippi River, including the territory in Alabama. In return, individual Creeks were to be granted land claims in the former Creek territory. Each of the ninety Creek chiefs was to receive one section (1 mi², 2.6 km²) of land and each Creek family was to receive one half-section (0.5 mi², 1.3 km²) of land of their choosing. Despite the grant of land, the treaty made clear the desire of the United States to remove as many Creeks as possible to the west in the least amount of time, and the United States agreed to pay expenses for Creek emigrants for the first year after being deported. The treaty also called for the United States to make payments to the Creek nation of approximately $350,000 and provide 20 square miles (51 km²) of land to be sold to support Creek orphans.

Aftermath

Once the treaty went into effect, many of the new Creek landowners, not being aware of the value of land, were quickly taken advantage of by settlers who often purchased the treaty-promised land for a pittance. Those Creeks who managed to keep legal title to their lands were soon overwhelmed by squatters, who state and federal officials generally refused to evict. When individual Creeks attempted to enforce their property rights against squatters themselves, they were often retaliated against by the local militia. By 1835, the situation became intractable and open conflict broke out once again between Creeks and settlers. The United States government responded by deporting most of the remaining Creeks to the Indian Territory.

See also

* Treaty of Fort Jackson
* Treaty of Washington (1826)
* Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
* Treaty of New Echota

References

* Martin, Joel W. (1991). "Sacred Revolt: The Muskogees' Struggle for a New World". Boston, Beacon Press. ISBN 0-8070-5403-8
* Nunn, Alexander (Ed.) (1983). "Lee County and Her Forebears". Montgomery, Ala., Herff Jones. LCCCN 83-081693
* " [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/Vol2/treaties/cre0341.htm Treaty with the Creeks, 1832] ". Retrieved September 29, 2005.
* Wright, John Peavy (1969). Glimpses into the past from my Grandfather's Trunk. Alexander City, Ala., Outlook Publishing Company, Inc. LCCCN 74-101331


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cusseta, Alabama —   City   Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • Cusseta (disambiguation) — Cusseta may mean *Cusseta, a principal town of the Creek Nation *Cusseta, Georgia *Cusseta, Alabamaee also*Treaty of Cusseta …   Wikipedia

  • Fort Cusseta — was a wooden stockade built by white settlers to protect against possible Creek Indian attacks. Its ruin still exists today within the small city of Cusseta, Alabama. Following the signing of the Creek Treaty in 1832, the early white settlers… …   Wikipedia

  • Vertrag von Cusseta — Der Vertrag von Cusetts war ein Landabtretungsvertrag der am 24. März 1832 zwischen der Regierung der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika und der indianischen Konföderation der Muskogee geschlossen wurde. In diesem Vertrag wurden alle… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Muscogee people — Muscogee Muscogee portraits Total population 71,502+[1][2] …   Wikipedia

  • Indian removal — The term Indian in this article refers to Native Americans; not to be confused with South Asians from the Indian subcontinent Routes of southern removals. Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to… …   Wikipedia

  • List of United States treaties — This is a list of treaties to which the United States has been a party or which have had direct relevance to U.S. history. This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. Contents 1 Pre Revolutionary War treaties 2 …   Wikipedia

  • Timeline of Cherokee removal — A timeline of events leading up to and extending away from the Treaty of New Echota from the time of first contact to the treaty of reunion after the American Civil War.1540 – Members of DeSoto’s party become the first Europeans to encounter the… …   Wikipedia

  • Category:United States and Native American treaties — Pages in category United States and Native American treaties The following 87 pages are in this category, out of 87 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more). B Treaty of Brownstown Treaty of Buffalo CreekC Treaty of… …   Wikipedia

  • Outline of United States federal Indian law and policy — This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. Law and U.S. public policy related to Native Americans has evolved continuously since the founding of the United States. This outline lists notable people, organizations, events, legislation …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”