In Spanish controlled Florida, Seminole, Maroon, and Gullah villages were afforded the opportunity to develop independently. Eventually, small bands of other Indian tribes migrated into the region and established their own villages that were unaffiliated with the Seminole. However, the proximity of these diverse communities to the United States placed them all in a precarious position. Eager to expand, the American government began negotiations with Spain for the purchase of the region. During these negotiations, it was deemed necessary to establish a military presence in the region. In 1817, the American government established Ft. Scott on the border between Georgia and Florida. From this vantage point, the Americans were able to observe the movement of runaway slaves as they escaped into Seminole domain.
Tensions Increase
The troops stationed at Ft. Scott also witnessed raiding parties consisting of members of the unaffiliated Indian communities as they slipped in and out of Georgia. While these raids were actually a direct response to the ingress of slave hunters, the American government viewed them as a provocative action by the Seminole Nation--a mistake either due to ignorance of the political dynamic of the region or the result of a deliberate manipulation of the facts. The Seminole communities along the borderland were already incensed at the constant influx of slave hunters--whose objective was to violate Seminole sovereignty and prey upon free blacks. The establishment of a military outpost in such close proximity to Seminole villages motivated some to react violently.
Invasion: First Seminole War
The first blow was struck by the United States in 1817 with an attack on a community of former slaves who had established a defensive garrison at an abandoned British fort. Hostilities began in earnest when the larger Seminole Nation and a few of the unaffiliated Indian villages responded to by launching a counteroffensive. While the Spanish government eventually consented to the sale of Florida, tensions in the region only increased. Neither the Seminole, unaffiliated, or Maroon communities were consulted despite the fact that they had the most to lose under an American occupation.
Uncertainty Breeds Fear
With the establishment of Florida as a territory of the United States and the influx of American settlers, tensions were once again at a tipping point. In response, many Seminole communities relocated to the everglades so as to distance themselves from the rapidly encroaching Americans. Black Seminole and Maroon communities also relocated for very much the same reason.
Fear Permeates: Second Seminole War
Maroon and Black Seminole leaders not only feared renewed hostilities between their communities and white settlers, but were also plagued by a sense of uneasiness over the prospect of a return to slavery. Many members of these communities were but one generation removed from bondage and the possibility of the creation of another slave state was a cause for concern. Were the Seminole to be removed to reservation land, what would become of the Black Seminole and the Maroons? Influential leaders like John Horse (a Black Seminole) and Abraham (a Maroon) pondered this question and began to advocate resistance. They found an ally in the very vocal Osceola--who urged his people to take up arms rather than consent to relocation. When Osceola began his campaign in December of 1835, he was joined by several Black Seminole and Maroon villages.
Sources:
Mark M. Boatner III, Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. (Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 1994).
Mark C Carnes, Ed. U.S. History. (New York: MacMillan Library Reference, 1998).
Peter Matthiessen, ed. George Catlin: North American Indians. (New York: Penguin Group, 1989).
Marilyn Miller and Martin Faux, American History Desk Reference. (New York: MacMillan, 1997).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
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