The Light Of The Five Civilized Tribes

How did the Light brought by the Pilgrims help the Five Civilized Tribes protect themselves?

The Pilgrims were the first to bring the Light to the Native Americans and to help them not be taken advantage of by other Europeans.

Wampanoags and Pilgrims lived together in harmony for fifty years.  Native Americans and these European Americans who followed the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) ate and played together at the feast of the Pilgrims.

However, Plymouth Colony was eventually destroyed when it was flooded with the worst kind of immigrants - Europeans.

These Europeans embraced everything that the Pilgrims had come to the New World to get away from.  They were so different from the Pilgrims in how they lived their lives, including their treatment of Native Americans, that the Pilgrims called them Strangers.

Eventually, the tension between Pilgrims and Strangers came to a head when the unjust treatment of the Native Americans led to the destruction of Plymouth Colony.   It was then absorbed into the colony of Massachusetts that was ran by Strangers.

This was not the end of work began by the Pilgrims.

Over the succeeding generations, some European Americans like David Brainerd continue the legacy of the Pilgrims by bringing the Light to Native Americans.  Missionaries like David Brainerd then inspired subsequent generations to continue to bring the Light to the Native Americans - including the Five Civilized Tribes. 

Those who did what they could to help bring the Light to the Five Civilized Tribes were part of the European Americans were like the Pilgrims.

They wanted to work out mutually beneficial arrangements with the Native Americans.  Native Americans would sell part of their land in exchange for things of value from the European Americans that would raise their standard of living. (This is called fair trade and justice. These European Americans were friends of the highest kind.)

However other European Americans were like the Strangers.

They wanted to occupy Native American lands without just compensation and were willing to kill Native Americans to do so. (This is called stealing and murder. These European Americans were criminals of the lowest kind.)

Eventually, the criminals were endangering the ability of the Five Civilized Tribes to continue to exist and raise their standard of living.  Over time, the only real hope of not becoming extinct or losing their identity as Native Americans was for them to move away from the criminals.

However, the friends were ready to help the Five Civilized Tribes protect themselves from being taken advantage of in their negotiations with the US government over removal.  The friends sought to bring the Light that comes the Book of Truth that leads to real education.  This Light helped the Five Civilized Tribes.

So, the friends established institutions of education that would bring the Light to the Native Americans.

In 1786, Davidson Academy was founded in Nashville, Tennessee by the Cumberland Presbyterians with Thomas Craighead, a Presbyterian minister, as the president of it.  It allowed people of all ethnicities entry.

In 1793, Williams College was charted by the State of Massachusetts.  The racist entry policies of Williams College only allowed European Americans to receive a higher education.

In 1806, five students at Williams College were forced to take shelter together in a barn by a thunderstorm.  While these Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) waited out the storm around a haystack, they started praying.

During the haystack prayer meeting, the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) convicted them that the racist policies of William college was contrary to the teachings of the Book of Truth (The Bible).  So, they began the American Foreign Mission Movement to put an end to that injustice.

Also in 1806, Davidson Academy was renamed to Cumberland College and Thomas Craighead continued as the president of it.

In 1809, another Presbyterian minister replaced Thomas Craighead as the president of Cumberland College.

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was founded in 1810 by graduates of Williams College who were part of the American Foreign Mission Movement.  The founders were primary Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and members of the German Reform church.

Samuel Worcester was selected as the first corresponding secretary of the ABCFM that year.

In 1816, the ABCFM sent Elias Cornelius to raise funds to start schools among the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek (Muskogee), and Cherokee Nations.  That same year, the American Bible Society was founded under its first president Elias Boudinot (European American).

In 1817, the ABCFM opened the Foreign Missions School in Cornwall, Connecticut to teach people to become missionaries, preachers, translators, teachers, and health workers among their own people.  The school had Polynesian, Chinese, Asian Indian, Native American, and European American students.

The local town people gave much aid to creating this school in their town because they were very supportive of its mission.  It would also provide a local place for their own children to get a higher education.

The school taught the students theology, mathematics, applied science, French, Greek, and Latin.  It also taught them practical skills to improve the lives of the people like modern farming, blacksmithing, and coopering.

In the first year, the school had one Native American student.  However, it soon became apparent that the major focus would be on educating Native Americans, especially from the Five Civilized Tribes.

In 1818, Centre College founded by Presbyterians in Danville, Kentucky.

This Light helped the Choctaw defend themselves.

In 1791, a Scotch-Irish fur trader, Nathaniel Folsom, and Aiahnichih Ohoyoh, the daughter of Pushkush, a chief of the Choctaw, had a son that they named David Folsom.

In 1800, Lewis LaFluer, a French-Canadian fur trader and Rebecca Cravatt, the daughter of Pushmataha, the Six Towns Chief of the Choctaw, had a son.  The name LaFluer was changed to LeFlore to sound more English, and they named their son Greenwood LeFlore.

In 1801, a Scottish fur trader surnamed McDonald and his Choctaw wife, Molly, had a son that they named James.

In 1807, David Folsom rode 250 miles (400 km) to attend a missionary school on the Elk River in Tennessee.  When he returned, he received more education from a European American Child of Truth living among the Choctaw as a fur trader named James Allen.

In 1810, Willis J. Harkins, a fur trader and his Choctaw wife, Louisa LeFlore, the sister of Greenwood LeFlore, had a son that they named George Washington Harkins after the first US president.  George W. Harkins was educated in missionary schools when he was older.

Also in 1812, Greenwood LeFlore was sent by Chief Pushmataha to Nashville, Tennessee to receive an education at a Presbyterian school started by Major Donly.

That same year, Molly McDonald sent her son, James McDonald, to live with Silas Dinsmoor, the US Agent to the Choctaws.  Silas Dinsmoor sent James McDonald to be educated in a nearby missionary school at this time.

In 1814, James McDonald so impressed Thomas L. McKenney, the US Superintendent of Indian Trade, with his education that James McDonald was sent to a Quaker college in Maryland to receive a higher education.

Also in 1814, Chief Pushmataha returned from fighting the War of 1812 as a Brigadier General under Andrew Jackson. He then became the Principal Chief of the Choctaw.

In 1817, Greenwood LeFlore finished his education at Cumberland College and had come into the House of Truth.  So, he married Rosa Donly, the daughter of Major Donly.  They then moved back to live with Chief Pushmataha among the Choctaw.

In 1818, Chief Pushmataha allowed Protestant missionaries to start schools throughout Choctaw territory.  So, the ABCFM sent Cyrus Kingsbury to the Choctaw, where he established Eliot Mission.  It included a school modeled after the Foreign Missions School.

Also in 1818, James McDonald graduated from the Quaker college began to work under Thomas L. McKenney at the Office of Indian Trade.  At the same time, James McDonald also continued to take more college classes and learn how to operate a business by working at a local dry goods store.

That same year, McKee and Israel Folsom from the Choctaw Nation were admitted to the Foreign Missions School.  George W. Harkins also was also admitted to Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

In 1819, David Folsom asked the ABCFM to send missionaries to create schools to teach Choctaw children.  He pleaded with the Choctaw to listen to the missionaries and to come into the House of Truth.  He paid for the first two schools with his own money.

Also in 1819, Secretary of War, John C. Calhoun, also began to pressure Thomas L. McKenney to have James McDonald go to law school.  At first, James McDonald refused but finally consented to go to Georgetown.  Then he moved to Ohio to finish his law degree.

In 1820, Cyrus Kingsbury built a second mission - the Mayhew Mission.  It included a school modeled after the Foreign Missions School.

In 1822, Greenwood LeFlore became Western Chief of the Choctaw, under Pushmataha, the Principal Chief of the Choctaw.

Also, in 1822 McKee and Israel Folsom graduated from the Foreign Missions School.  After returning to live among the Choctaw, they created a Choctaw alphabet, created Choctaw school books, and translated the Book of Truth into Choctaw.

In 1823, James McDonald finished his law degree and returned to help Chief Pushmataha in negotiations for the Choctaw.  The US negotiators suddenly found themselves being taken to court over failures of the US government to honor some of the details of former treaties.  They had not expected this from the Choctaw.

In 1824, Chief Pushmataha left with the two other main chiefs of the Choctaw, Chief Apuckshunubbee and Chief Mushulatubbee, to negotiate a treaty for a new homeland for the Choctaw.  They were accompanied by a delegation of Choctaws, including those who had been educated by missionaries.

Chief Apuckshunubbee died before reaching Washington D.C. as did a few of the other older Choctaw in the delegation.

Later that year, Chief Pushmataha died in Washington D.C. while negotiating on behalf of the Choctaw Nation to remain in their lands in Mississippi and Alabama.  He was buried there at his request with full military honors as a Brigadier General of the US Army.

However, the death of Chief Pushmataha and most of the older members of the Choctaw before negotiation began in Washington D.C. did not prove to be the undoing of the Choctaw.

Instead, the younger delegation members, who had been educated by missionaries, proved to be more formidable negotiators than their predecessors.  These were notable Choctaw leaders like David Folsom, Colonel Robert Cole (the son of Chief Apuckshunubbee), Captain Daniel McCurtain, and Major John Pitchlynn as well as Chief Greenwood LeFlore.

This delegation successfully used the laws of the US to their advantage with the help of James McDonald.  They were too well educated to be taken advantage of like the older Choctaw leaders.

In 1825, James McDonald led a delegation of seven Choctaw leaders in writing a declaration to be read by the US Congress.  In it, he acknowledged that Native American would eventually be integrated into American society, but still had a right under American law to retain their identity as members of their individual Native American tribes.  No one could argue against his points.

So in 1825, the missionary educated Choctaw delegation secured the Treaty of Washington.

This treaty moved the eastern boundaries of Indian Territory significantly eastward and southward to the Red River.  The Choctaw were given a much larger tract of land than originally proposed by President Monroe and more money than originally offered.  Most importantly, the Choctaw obtained education for their children that would be on par with that of other Americans.

In 1826, David Folsom replaced Chief Mushulatubbee as chief over the northeast district of the Choctaw.  Chief Mushulatubbee had been opposed to missionary schools and advocated removal to Indian territory to keep the Choctaw from hearing about the Man of Truth.  David Folsom had taken the opposite stance.

Chief David Folsom, Chief John Garland, and Chief Greenwood LeFlore soon organized the first police force and the first constitutional government of the Choctaw.

In 1828, Chief Greenwood LeFlore encouraged the Choctaw to come into the House of Truth, families to live on individual plots of land that they would farm and send their children to school as George Washington had advocated.

In 1830, David Folsom and John Garland resigned from their positions of chief, leaving Chief Greenwood LeFlore as the sole chief of the Choctaw, even though he still had the title of Principal Chief.  He soon drafted a treaty for removal that he believed would give the Choctaw the best possible outcome.

The US government negotiators changed the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek significantly in the final draft and demanded acceptance.  Under the pressure of Chief Greenwood LeFlore, the treaty was reluctantly signed by David Folsom, John Garland, James McDonald, and the other leaders of the Choctaw.

Still, the Choctaw ended up with a larger tract of land than any other Native American tribe. The land was quite fertile and provided good hunting.  The education that they had received in missionary schools made this possible.

However, most of the Choctaw were not happy with the treaty.

Greenwood LeFlore was soon replace by his nephew George W. Harkins as the Principal Chief of the Choctaw.  Chief George W. Harkins continued the policy of David Folsom that encouraged missionaries to continue their schools among the Choctaw while telling them about the Man of Truth.

This Light helped the Cherokee defend themselves.

In 1752, the Moravian missionaries began having exploratory meetings with the Cherokee to learn the best way to tell the Cherokee about the Man of Truth.

During these meetings they would educate the Cherokee in useful things to improve their standard of living.  They also taught the Cherokee some skills needed to keep European Americans from taking advantage of them in trade deals.

In 1762, Joseph Vann, an English fur trader and his Cherokee wife, Wali, had a son that they named James.

In 1767, an English fur trader, Nathan Hicks, and his Cherokee wife Nan-Ye-Hi had a son that they named Charles Hicks.  Nan-Ye-Hi was the daughter of a Swiss fur trader named Jacob Conrad and his Cherokee wife Jennie Taylor, the daughter of Chief Oconastota Rainmaker.

In 1769, Nathan Hicks and Nan-Ye-Hi had another son who they named William Hicks.

When the Cherokee Nation was organized more centrally in 1794, Charles Hicks was appointed treasurer and his brother William assisted him.  This was because of the education that they had received from the Moravian missionaries.

In 1800, John Brown, after the surname of his English father, but called Yau-nu-gung-yah-ski by his Cherokee mother, and his Cherokee wife, Tsa-luh, had a daughter that they named Catherine.   They lived in the Cherokee community called Creek Path.

In 1801, the Moravians founded the Spring Place Mission among the Cherokee in Georgia.   The mission included a school to provide their Cherokee students with a practical education.

In 1802, a Cherokee named Uwaite had a son named Gallegina. Uwaite was married to Susanna Reese, the sister of Major Ridge, a prominent Cherokee leader whose maternal grandfather had immigrated from Scotland.  Their grandfather had been a fur trader and had used his trade to tell the Cherokee about the Man of Truth.

In 1804, Uwaite had another son that he named Degataga.  Then Uwaite came into the House of Truth through the efforts of Moravian missionaries.  So, he adopted an English name of David Uwaite, which was later shortened to David Waite.

David Waite gave the oldest son an English name of Buck, and his brother the English name of Isaac after coming into the House of Truth.  Later, he had a third son that he named Thomas.

Also in 1804, James Vann, who had become the wealthiest man in the Cherokee Nation, persuaded the Cherokee National Council to allow Moravian missionaries to build another school in the Cherokee Nation.

James Vann donated the land and paid for the Moravian missionaries to build a school near is his house at Spring Creek, so his son Joseph Vann could be educated there.  His nephew David Vann was also educated there.

That same year, Gideon Blackburn began a Presbyterian missionary school among the Cherokee.  Among his students was John Ross.

In 1805, John and Anna Rosina Gambold arrived at Spring Place Mission to continue the work there.

They immersed themselves in Cherokee culture and recorded what they learned to reach the Cherokee with the Good News more effectively.  So, they were not just teachers of the Cherokee, but also students of the Cherokee.

In 1806, Gideon Blackburn began a second missionary school among the Cherokee.

Also in 1806, John Brown and his wife Tsa-luh had a son that they named David.  He lived with his sister Catherine in the Creek Path community.

In 1808, David Waite sent his sons to the Spring Place Mission starting with Buck.  Isaac soon followed and changed his English name to Stand, the meaning of his Cherokee name.

In 1810, Gideon Blackburn began establishing a school among the Creek as well, but some of them were opposed to having a missionary school for their children. So, they falsely accused him of plotting with Major Ridge to use the school to ship whiskey through Creek land illegally.

This so damaged his reputation that Gideon Blackburn had to shut his schools among the Cherokee and move out of their territory.  As a result, John Ross had to finish his education at a military academy ran by the US army at South West Point.

In 1812, Buck Waite started attending the Moravian missionary school at Spring Creek in the Cherokee Nation (present day Georgia).  Stand Waite also began attending the school there at the same time.

Their cousin John Ridge also attended the school at Spring Creek as well that year.  James Vann, the friend and mentor of his father, Major Ridge, had arranged for the Moravian missionaries to build the school.

In 1813, Charles Hicks and his wife came into the House of Truth. He changed his name to Charles Renatus Hicks, because Renatus means "born again".

Not long after that, Charles Renatus Hicks began actively advocating that the Cherokee be educated by missionaries to learn about the Man of Truth.  He started supporting a school created by Moravian missionaries.

In 1817, Charles Renatus Hicks became second Chief to Chief Path Killer, the Principal Chief of the Cherokee.  His education and efforts to gain education for the Cherokee through missionaries had made him the most influential man in the Cherokee Nation.

Also in 1817, the ABCFM sent Cyrus Kingsbury to Tennessee to reach the Cherokee people with the Good News.  He built the Chickamauga Mission near the home of John Ross.

It included a school modeled after the Foreign Missions School.  Buck Waite was among the first to attend the school there.

David and Catherine Brown rode over 100 miles to be part of the first class.  They soon came into the House of Truth and were the first to be baptized at the school.

Later that year, Elias Cornelius began living among the Cherokee in northwest Georgia.  At this time, he met Buck Waite and John Ridge.  Among those Cherokee selected to go to the Foreign Missions School by Elias Cornelius was Buck Waite.

On his way to the Foreign Missions School, Buck Waite met Elias Boudinot (European American).  He was so impressed with Elias Boudinot (European American) that he asked for permission to change his English name to Elias Boudinot.  Elias Boudinot (European American) was so impressed with Buck Waite that he gave him permission to go by his name.  So, Buck Waite changed his name to Elias Boudinot.

In 1818, the Foreign Missions School had seven Native American students including four Cherokee and two Choctaw students, one of which was Elias Boudinot.

Also that year, the Chickamauga Mission was renamed to Brainerd Mission in honor of David Brainerd.  Daniel Sabin Butrick began teaching there that year and remained until it was closed.

In 1819, Major Ridge sent John Ridge to the Foreign Missions School to join his cousin Elias Boudinot.

Also that year, David Brown returned to the Cherokee people and helped create a Cherokee spelling book using the English alphabet.

That same year, William Hicks came into the House of Truth and began helping his brother Charles Renatus Hicks increase missionary education among the Cherokee.

In 1820, Elias Boudinot came into the House of Truth while attending the Foreign Missions School.  This affected everything that he did thereafter.

That same year, David Brown established a mission at Creek Path with his sister Catherine.  She remained behind to teach the Cherokee while he went to the Foreign Missions School to become a native missionary to the Cherokee.

Evan Jones came as a missionary to teach the Cherokee in 1821.

That same year Sequoyah used the Book of Truth written in English, as well as source documents written in Hebrew and Greek, to create the Cherokee Syllabary.

Also in 1821, Anna Rosina Gambold died and soon the Moravians sent a new team to keep Spring Place Mission going.

In 1822, John Gambold established the Oothcaloga Mission to provide Moravian education to more of the Cherokee at the urging of Major Ridge and William Hicks.

Also in 1822, Evan Jones moved to Valley Town, North Carolina with his wife and four children to teach the full blood Cherokee.  Among his students was Jesse Bushyhead and Lewis Downing, a future Cherokee chief.

In 1823, David Brown returned to the Creek Path Mission and used it as a base of operation to preach the Good News to the Cherokee.

Also in 1823, Catherine Brown had a collection of her writings about her life from when she came into the House of Truth until her brother returned to the Creek Path Mission.  She became the first Native American woman to have a book published in her lifetime.  Her writings influenced European Americans to be opposed to the removal of the Cherokee.

Later that year, Catherine Brown died of tuberculous at Creek Path.

In 1824, Sequoyah moved to Arkansaw Territory (Modern Arkansas) along with other Old Settler Cherokees.  About the same time, Elias Boudinot began translating the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament) into Cherokee using the Cherokee Syllabary and printing it.

At the same time, John Ridge married Sarah Bird Northrup, the daughter of the steward of the Foreign Mission School after he graduated.  This marriage of a Native American man to a European American woman caused the people of Cornwall, Connecticut to nearly riot.

Also that year, Evan Jones then had more children born among the Cherokee, starting with his son John Butrick Jones.  These children grew up as native speakers of both Cherokee and English.

By 1825, the Cherokee nation had adopted the Cherokee Syllabary as the first Native American created writing system in modern times.  Jesse Bushyhead worked with Evan Jones to translate parts of the Book of Truth into the Cherokee language using the Cherokee Syllabary.

So, that same year the Book of Truth and hymns were translated into Cherokee using the Cherokee Syllabary.  It was the first book ever published using the Cherokee Syllabary.

Also in 1825, John Ridge returned to live among the Cherokee with his new European American wife - a first among the Cherokee.  This created quite a stir among the Cherokee as well.

Children had always been counted as belonging to the clan of their mother, but his wife did not belong to any clan.  The Cherokee finally decided to change their law to treat the children of such unions as if they were born to the mother of the Cherokee father.

Afterwards, John Ridge became part of the Cherokee National Council.

That same year, Samuel Worcester came to the Brainerd Mission to educate the Cherokee and to tell them the Good News.

Finally in 1825, David Brown reported that the majority of the Cherokee had come into the House of Truth.  His education at the Foreign Mission School had proven to be highly effective.

In 1826, the Cherokee National Council had the laws of the Cherokee Nation written using the Cherokee Syllabary.

That same year, Elias Boudinot married Harriet Ruggles Gold, the daughter of a prominent family that supported the Foreign Mission School.   This second marriage of a Native American man to a European American woman caused the people of Cornwall, Connecticut to force the Foreign Mission School to close.

Elias Boudinot and his wife returned to live among the Cherokee at New Echota.  He was soon selected by the Cherokee National Council to create the first Native American newspaper in history.

Elias Boudinot worked closely with Samuel Worcester, who had a typeset of the characters of the Cherokee Syllabary made.  The ABCFM funded the entire operation.

Elias Boudinot then used the press to begin fund raising for a Cherokee national academy so the Cherokee could receive a higher education in their own land.

In 1827, Chief Path Killer died, and Charles Renatus Hicks became the Principal Chief of the Cherokee but died shortly afterwards. His brother William Hicks acted as interim Principal Chief of the Cherokee while the Cherokee nation was reorganizing as a constitutional republic.

Also that year, James Jenkins Trott started a Methodist missionary school near the center of Cherokee territory in Georgia.

In 1828, John Ross was elected the first Principal Chief of the Cherokee of the new constitutional republic.  Major Ridge and William Hicks as counselors to the chiefs.

In 1828, the Cherokee Phoenix began being printed by Elias Boudinot, who wrote Cherokee content using the Cherokee Syllabary and Samuel Worcester, who wrote the English content.  It was the first Native American / European dual language newspaper in history.  It was edited by David Carter, another graduate of the Foreign Mission School.

Elias Boudinot and Samuel Worcester used the printing press to also print numerous tracts opposing removal of the Cherokee to Indian Territory.  Their tracts were distributed across the United States and reprinted in numerous newspapers.  Stand Waite also wrote articles for the Cherokee Phoenix against removal.

Also in 1828, Sequoyah went to Washington D.C. to negotiate a treaty for the Old Settler Cherokees to move from Arkansaw Territory to Indian Territory (Eastern and Southern modern Oklahoma).  While he was there, he demonstrated his Cherokee Syllabary to show that the Cherokee were indeed an advanced nation with its own written language.

Then Sequoyah traveled to the Eastern Cherokee to show how effective it was.  The Cherokee found it easy to learn and soon the literacy rate among the Cherokee as over 90% by 1830 - higher than any other group in North America.  This made it much easier for the Cherokee to read the Book of Truth for themselves.

In 1829, David Brown died at the Creek Path Mission. His students continued the work of the mission until they were removed to Indian Territory.

In 1830, US Congress passed the Indian Removal Act by a single vote under much pressure from President Andrew Jackson.

Chief Ross used the education provided by missionaries to defend the Cherokee Nation in the courts against those who sought their removal and to raise up public awareness of their plight.  William Hicks accompanied him.

That same year, Jesse Bushyhead became a native missionary among the Cherokee and continued his work as a translator for Evan Jones.

In 1831, James Jenkins Trott was arrested for refusing to take an oath to the state of Georgia over the Cherokee.  By this time, he had started six schools and led almost a thousand Cherokee into the House of Truth.

In 1832, Georgia used the state militia to destroy the Cherokee Phoenix.  They destroyed everything completely.  This was contrary to the ruling of the US Supreme Court protecting the Cherokee.

Elias Boudinot and Samuel Worcester realized that removal was inevitable, and that the Cherokee needed to negotiate for the best deal that they could get.

So, Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Stand Waite joined Elias Boudinot to form the Treaty Party to negotiate the best removal treaty possible with the US government.  Soon they were joined by many other missionary educated Cherokee leaders like David Vann.

Chief Ross withstood them every step of the way.  He formed the National Party to lead resistance to removal at any cost.  (He later conceded to removal when terms were favorably for him personally.)

In 1833, the State of Georgia allowed the illegal European American settlers to force Spring Place Mission to close.  Around this time, the Moravian missionaries left the Oothcaloga Mission under the care of the native Cherokee who they had trained as missionaries and teachers.

In 1835, the Treaty Party negotiated the Treaty of New Echota.  The National Party was infuriated.

John Ridge said, "I have signed my death warrant" when he signed the New Echota treaty.  He did this because he was willing to lay down his life for the preservation of his people.

This Light helped the Creek defend themselves.

In 1700, Edward Griffin and his Creek wife had a daughter named Coosaponakeesa in the Creek town of Coweta.

In 1707, Edward Griffin took Coosaponakeesa to be educated at a Christian school in South Carolina.  Soon after arriving, Coosaponakeesa came into the House of Truth and took on the English name of Mary.

In 1715, the Yamasee War broke out and Mary Griffith returned to Coweta to be with her Creek family.  Mary Griffith then began telling the Creek about the Man of Truth in their own language.

In 1717, the Yamasee War ended with a treaty negotiated by Colonel John Musgrove Sr.  In the treaty, John Musgrove Jr, who also had a Creek mother, had to marry one of the women from the family of Chief Brim. So, John Musgrove Jr chose Mary Griffith. and she became Mary Musgrove.

In 1733, Mary Musgrove acted as the interpreter for James Ooglethorpe, the founder of Georgia.  Her Christian education helped her to understand the English world as well as the Creek world.

In 1735, Peter Rose and his wife Catherine found a Moravian outpost to bring the Good News to the Creek called Irene.  They also taught practical things to the Creek to improve their standard of living.

In 1736, John and Charles Wesley came to Georgia at the request of James Ooglethorpe to tell the Creek about the Man of Truth.  Mary Musgrove acted as their translator and many of the Creek came into the House of Truth.

By 1737, John and Charles Wesley had both returned to England because the colonists of Georgia did not want the Creek to know about the Man of Truth nor to be educated.

In 1738, Mary Musgrove helped James Ooglethorpe negotiate a mutually beneficial treaty with the Lower Creek.  In the treaty, Chief Malatchi gave her three islands.  She then began used the islands to teach the Creek how to raise cattle.

In 1739, Peter and Catherine Rose were forced to leave Irene because Peter had refused to fight in the War of Jenkin's Ear.

In 1744, the widow Mary Musgrove married Thomas Bosomworth, a preacher of the Good News. They then continued her work of educating the Creek in skills to raise their standard of living and telling the Creek about the Man of Truth. They suffered much persecution from the colonists of Georgia for doing so.

In 1749, Mary Bosomworth was literally shut out of negotiations between the colony of Georgia and Chief Malatchi by the governor of Georgia - even though under the Creek matrilineal system she was probably the rightful ruler of the Creek.  The governor was concerned that she would use her education to ensure that the Creek were not taken advantage of in the negotiations.

In 1750, Lachlan McGillivray, a Scottish fur trader and Sehoy Marchand had as son that they named Hoboi-Hili-Miko while he was living among the Creek at Little Tallassee. Their son had an English name of Alexander McGillivray.

Sehoy Marchand was the daughter of Jean Baptiste Louis DeCourtel Marchand, a French army officer from Fort Toulouse and Sehoy the daughter of one of the main chiefs of the Creek.

Around 1756, Lachlan McGillivray started a plantation at Augusta, Georgia and sent Alexander McGillivray to be educated at the Presbyterian school there.

In 1759, Sehoy Marchand had a daughter by another man who she named Sehoy III.

In 1765, Mary Bosomworth died, but the fruits of her labors lived on.

The Lower Creek had become educated in many things to help raise their standard of living and many of them continue to live in the House of Truth.  Due to the efforts of these native missionaries to continue her efforts, the Creek were the first tribe that was recognized as a civilized tribe by George Washington.

In 1773, Lachlan McGillivray sent Alexander McGillivray to Charleston, South Carolina to receive a higher education there.

In 1775, William McIntosh (European American), a captain in the Loyalist army, and Creek woman named Senoya had a child that his mother named William McIntosh, after his father.  His Creek name was Tustunnuggee Hutke (White Warrior).

Captain McIntosh (European American) was the son of John McIntosh and Margaret "Mary" McGillivray, the sister of Lachlan McGillivray.  He had been sent to Creek by the British to get their help against the Americans during the Revolutionary War.

When William McIntosh was older, he was educated by the Creek who had been educated by Mary Bosomworth.

In 1777, Lachlan McGillivray fled to Scotland after siding with British against the Americans in the American Revolutionary.  So, Alexander McGillivray returned to Little Tallassee to live with his mother Sehoy Marchand.  Alexander McGillivray then built a large house and plantation nearby.

In 1781, a fur trader named Charles Weatherford and Sehoy III had a son named William Weatherford.  His Creek name was Red Eagle.

In 1783, Chief Emistigo died, and Alexander McGillivray became the Principal Chief of the Upper Creek.

That same year, due to his education by the Presbyterians, Alexander McGillivray opposed the Treaty of Augusta.  This treaty gave away valuable land belonging to the Lower Creek to the state of Georgia for practically nothing.  The uneducated chiefs of the Lower Creek signed it anyways.

When the Treaty Of Paris was signed that year, officially ending the American Revolution, the United States government confiscated the property of all Loyalist - including the estate of Lachlan McGillivray.  So, Alexander McGillivray began working to establish an independent Creek Nation.

Around that time, Alexander McGillivray began using his Presbyterian education to educate William Weatherford.

In 1784, Alexander McGillivray used his education to negotiate the Treaty of Pensacola with Spain that gave the Creek Nation three million acres in Georgia, aid from Spain, and effective control of the deer skin trade with the British. This treaty also made him richer and firmer in control of the Creek Nation.

In 1785, Upper Creek war parties joined the Cherokee in the Cherokee-American War in Tennessee.

In 1786, Upper and Lower Creek were emboldened to join together to declare war on the state of Georgia.  Spain told Alexander McGillivray that if this continued that Spain would cut off aid to the Creek Nation. So, he began negotiating peace with the United States.

In 1787, the Cherokee-American War came to an end and the Upper Creek stopped their hostilities with the United States.  The peace that Alexander McGillivray had negotiated brought an end to all hostilities.

In 1790, the governor of Georgia sold land that belonged to the Yazoo tribe by a treaty previously made with them by the state of Georgia.

President George Washington was enraged when he found out.  He declared the Five Civilized Tribes as sovereign nations that only the federal government could conduct treaties with.  So, he sent an emissary to the Creek Nation and Seminole Nation to come to New York to negotiate a treaty with United States that Georgia could not violate without risking war with the rest of the states.

So, Alexander McGillivray and twenty-nine other chiefs went to New York.  None of the uneducated Lower Creek chiefs came effectively making him the Principal Chief of the entire Creek Nation.

Alexander McGillivray used his Presbyterian education to negotiate the Treaty of New York that established the modern western border of the state of Georgia.  None of the other chiefs could read the Treaty of New York and were completely dependent upon Alexander McGillivray to understand what they were agreeing to.

The Treaty of New York also made Alexander McGillivray an Indian Agent for the United States to the Creek Nation and Seminole Nation as well as a Brigadier General in the American Army - despite his poor war fighting skills.  He was also free from import taxes on goods that came through Pensacola plus compensation for the land that had been confiscated from his Loyalist father, Lachlan McGillivray.  Furthermore, his business interests were expanded, which added to his great wealth.

The Creek and Seminole chiefs, especially the Lower Creek chiefs who had no voice in the negotiations, felt betrayed and were angry when they learned about these additional provisions that only benefited Alexander McGillivray.  He had traded Creek land for personal gain, but there was nothing that they could do about it without risking war with the United States.

Alexander McGillivray then used these provisions to effectively become ruler over both the Creek Nation and Seminole Nation.  He called himself their emperor in all future negotiations.

In 1792, Alexander McGillivray declared the Treaty of New York void and used his Presbyterian education to negotiate another treaty with Spain, who had taken control of the French Louisiana as emperor of the Creek and Seminole nations.  This treaty made the Creek Nation an independent country that would be negotiated directly with European countries, instead negotiating with them through the United States.

Alexander McGillivray then moved to Pensacola, Florida - which he intended to turn into the capital of his empire.  However, he died shortly after arriving there in 1793.

In 1795, George Washington began a policy of sending missionaries among the Creek and the other Five Civilized Tribes.  These missionaries were to educate these Native Americans and help them come into the House of Truth.

By 1800, William McIntosh had become a wealthy businessman and skilled orator.  He effectively become chief over all the Lower Creek.

Chief William McIntosh then began working to bring in more Christian missionaries to establish schools among the Lower Creek.

Chief William McIntosh also sought to strength the Creek National Council so that the Creek Confederacy would have a more centralized government. At the same time, he improved the ancient trade road that connected the Lower Creek lands to the Upper Creek lands.  This improved his position as chief over the Lower Creek.

Also by 1800, William Weatherford used his Presbyterian education to become a wealthy businessman and his Creek upbringing to become a skilled warrior.  He effectively became chief over all the Upper Creek. 

In 1804, Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins and some of the Lower Creek chiefs asked the Moravians to a create a mission to teach skills to raise their standard of living in Georgia.  However, they did not want the mission to be used for telling the Creek about the Man of Truth.

In 1807, the Moravians sent two missionaries to start the Flint River Mission.  While at the mission, the missionaries only taught skills to raise the standard of living of the Lower Creek.  However, the two missionaries would also venture into Creek towns in Alabama and tell those Creek about the Man of Truth.

In 1811, the federal government turned part of the ancient Trading Path into the National Road that connected the colonies in the east to the Native American lands near the Mississippi River.

European Americans were using the National Road in the north to settle Native American lands without just compensation.  The Creek had agreed to allow these roads to be built previous treaties.

Chief Big Warrior then invited Tecumseh, the chief of the Shawnee, to talk to the Creek National Council.  When Chief Tecumseh told the Creek National Council about this, they became alarmed. Chief Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa (The Shawnee Prophet), brother advocated all Native Americans uniting and driving the European Americans from North America.

However, the Creek were divided what to do about the threat due to the differences that had developed between the Lower Creek and the Upper Creek.

The Lower Creek led by Chief William McIntosh were well educated and many had come into the House of Truth.  They did not live much differently than their European neighbors.

The Upper Creek led by Chief William Weatherford had very few among them that were educated and only a few had come into the House of Truth.  They did not live much differently than their ancestors had lived.

Tenskwatawa then prophesied by the names of the traditional gods of the Shawnee that the European Americans would be driven out.  Soon, Peter McQueen also prophesied by the names of the traditional gods of the Creek that the European Americans would be driven out.  Soon, they were joined by Josiah Francis, High Head Jim, and Paddy Walsh.  Together, they were the Red Prophets.

Tenskwatawa also prophesied that signs of this would happen.  These sign came to pass.

One was the sighting of the Great Comet as a sign that Tecumseh would be victorious.  (Tecumseh means "shooting star".)  The other was the New Madrid earthquake as a sign that the Native American would level the European American cities.

Soon, many of the Lower Creek and Upper Creek left the House of Truth to follow the Red Prophets.

So the Creek National Council met to determine what to do about this threat caused by roads being built through Creek land.

Chief William McIntosh (White Warrior) advocated using caution to not void the treaties that had been previously made with the United States by any act of violence against it. However, Chief William Weatherford (Red Eagle) advocated going to war against the United States.

When the Creek National Council took a vote, those who agreed with pursuing a peaceful resolution held up a white stick, while those who agreed with going to war held up a red stick.

When the vote was taken, Chief William McIntosh (White Warrior) and some of the Lower Creek chiefs held up a white stick.  Chief William Weatherford (Red Eagle), most of the Upper Creek chiefs, and many of the Lower Creek chiefs held up a red stick.

The White Sticks were composed of those who kept their faith in the Man of Truth.  Most of them had been educated by missionaries (largely native missionaries) and had sent their sons to Christian colleges in the American states.

The Red Sticks were composed of those who placed their faith in the Red Prophets. Most of them had received little to no education from missionaries.

So, the Creek Nation became divided between the White Sticks and the Red Sticks.

The Red Sticks immediately began preparing for war.  Chief William Weatherford, Chief Opothleyahola, and Chief Menawa began meeting with the British and the Spanish to work out new agreements that would allow them to maintain control of the river ports along the coast, while the Creek maintained control of everything else.

In 1812, the War of 1812 broke out and the Red Sticks saw this as a sign for them to act.  The Red Prophets started having the Red Sticks kill the Creek Children of Truth in their sleep in White Stick towns.  They also burned the Creek Children of Truth alive in the Red Stick towns.  This was the start of the Creek Civil War.

In 1813, the Red Stick Chief Little Warrior led a band of eight Red Sticks who killed two American families while returning from Detroit, where they had sought British aid for the Red Sticks.  The Americans demanded that these Red Sticks be handed over to them.

The Creek National Council met at the Upper Creek town of Tuckabatchee to discuss the matter.  They decided to execute the men themselves to avoid war with the United States. So, Chief Little Prince and seven other White Stick Chiefs executed the Red Stick Chief Little Warrior and the other eight Red Stick warriors.

After this, the Red Sticks led by Chief William Weatherford destroyed the capital city of the Creek Nation - the Upper Creek town of Tuckabatchee under the direction of the Red Prophets. This was the town ruled by Chief Big Warrior.

Then the Red Sticks fought with the Americans while returning from Spanish Florida with arms supplied by the Spanish.  This was followed by an attack on Fort Mims led by Chief William Weatherford and the Red Prophets.

The Red Sticks massacred almost everyone in Fort Mims - men, women, and children. This included many of the White Sticks who had taken refuge there to avoid fighting with the Red Sticks.

The White Sticks led by Chief William McIntosh, Chief Little Prince, and Chief Big Warrior, soon went to war against the Red Sticks.  First, they attacked a band of Yuchi (Uchee) Native Americans that were on their way to join the Red Sticks.  Then they proceeded to destroy many of the Red Stick towns.

The White Sticks then joined the Americans to fight against the Red Sticks.  They were also joined by Cherokee forces led by Major Ridge and Choctaw forces led by Chief Pushmataha.  John Ross also joined to act as adjunct to General Andrew Jackson on behalf of the Cherokee regiment.

So, in 1813, the Creek Civil War forced the Flint River Mission to close and the two missionaries to return to North Carolina.  Fort Mitchell was then built to maintain peace along the border of Georgia.

In 1814, the Americans led by General Andrew Jackson with their allies, the White Sticks, Cherokee, and Choctaw, soundly defeated the Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.  However, Chief William Weatherford, Chief Opothleyahola, Chief Menawa, the Red Prophets Peter McQueen and Josiah Francis, along with 200 Red Stick warriors, escaped to Spanish Florida to live among the Seminoles.

Upon arrival, the Red Prophet Peter McQueen started a Red Stick city called Angola.

Later that year, the chiefs of the Creek were called to Fort Jackson (formerly Fort Toulouse) to formally end the war.  All the remaining White Stick and Red Stick chiefs came.  Andrew Jackson pardoned the Red Stick chiefs to maintain peace among the Creeks.  However, he said that he would hang every one of the Red Prophets if he caught them for starting the Creek Civil War.

Since two thirds of the Creek had gone to war against the United States, the actions of the Red Sticks voided all previous treaties.  As punishment and to make war reparations, the Creek had to give up half of their remaining land to the United States.

However, since the Creek Civil War had pretty much destroyed the food supplies and farms within the Creek Nation, the treaty provided payment in the form of annuities of food and supplies for the Creek to rebuild their farms.  Chief William Weatherford used his Presbyterian education to ensure that the treaty allowed the Creek to keep the half of the land where most of their farms and remaining buildings were located.

The White Stick chiefs objected to the loss of land since they had helped the United States.  General Andrew Jackson told them that their help was why they were able to keep half of their property.  The half that they lost was punishment for not preventing the Creek Civil War by killing Chief Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa (The Shawnee Prophet), sworn enemies of the United States, when they had the chance.

So, every single Creek chief signed the Treaty of Fort Jackson including Chief William Weatherford, Chief Opothleyahola, Chief Menawa, Chief William McIntosh, Chief Little Prince, and Chief Big Warrior.  Chief William McIntosh was given oversight of the distribution of the annuities. He used this position to increase his wealth, power, and influence.

In 1818, Chief William McIntosh led the Creek Nation into being reorganized into a single nation instead of being a confederacy of tribes.  As part of their reorganization, they formalized the Creek National Council, established written laws including a constitution and created a police force with jurisdiction over the entire Creek Nation called the Law Menders.

Also that year, General Andrew Jackson caught the Red Prophet Josiah Francis and promptly hanged him without a trial for causing the Creek Civil War.

In 1821, General Andrew Jackson became governor of the American Territory of Florida.  He promptly destroyed Angola.  The Red Prophet Peter McQueen was killed, but some of the Red Sticks escaped to form another community called Minnatti.  With the Red Prophet Peter McQueen dead, Jackson let their community alone.

Also that year, Chief William McIntosh and several other Creek chiefs signed a treaty at Indian Springs with the Governor Troup, his cousin.  This treaty ceded some tracts of Creek land, but Chief William McIntosh benefited greatly from it.

The National Council thought about executing Chief William McIntosh and the other Creek chiefs, but they had not broken the written laws of the Creek Nation. So, they acted in accordance with the written laws.

Also in 1821, the Methodists sent William Capers to Fort Mitchell to be a pastor to the European Americans and a missionary to the Creek.  William Capers began negotiations with the Creek chiefs to allow him to build a mission that would both educate the Creek to raise their standard of living as well as teach them from the Book of Truth.

In 1822, an agreement was reached the Asbury Manual Labor School and Mission was opened.  It remained opened until the removal of the Creek to Indian Territory.

Also that year, Lee and Susanna Compere opened a Baptist missionary school called Withington Station. This school used the Book of Truth as a primary textbook and generally told the Creek students about the Man of Truth.  It also taught skills needed to raise the standard of living of the Creek.

In 1824, the Creek National Council passed a law that made it a capital offense for anyone to sign a treaty giving away Creek land without it first being approved by the Creek National Council.  This law was signed by Chief William McIntosh.

However, Chief William McIntosh still urged the National Council to begin negotiating a removal treaty with the United States, since he believed that removal was inevitable.  He believed that the Creek would get a better deal if they acted quickly.

Also that year, Chief William Weatherford died, and Chief Big Warrior became the Principal Chief of the Upper Creek.

So in 1825, Chief William McIntosh and some other Creek chiefs signed another treaty at Indian Springs.  This treaty agreed for the Creek to cede all lands east of the Mississippi for an equal size pieced of land west of the Mississippi plus money to develop the land to the same standards that the Creek currently had.  The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty by one vote.

Chief William McIntosh and the other Creek chiefs had broken Creek written law by negotiating a treaty to cede Creek land without the prior approval of the Creek National Council.  So, the Creek National Council sentenced them to be executed as the written law prescribed.

So, Chief Menawa led the Law Menders in carrying out the executions. Some were shot, some were stabbed in the heart, and some were hung.  They also burned the mansion of Chief William McIntosh since it had largely been financed with money that he made from past treaties.

After the death of Chief William McIntosh, Chief Little Prince became the Principal Chief of the Lower Creek.

Then the Creek National Council decided to send a delegation to Washington D.C. to protest the legality of the treaty and to negotiate a new treaty.  They sent Chief Opothleyahola, Chief Menawa, Chief Little Prince, and Chief Big Warrior along with others.

The Creek National Council chose Chief Opothleyahola to be their diplomatic chief who would lead the negotiations since he was brilliant orator and skilled diplomat.  However, he spoke very little English, so the Creek National Council asked Major Ridge, part of the Cherokee National Council, for advice.

Major Ridge urged them to take his son John Ridge and David Vann with them to the negotiations.  Their extensive education that they had received in Christian schools and colleges would help the Creek negotiate a better deal.  The Creek National Council took his advice.

After the delegation arrived in Washington D.C., Chief Big Warrior died.  His son Tuskenea became the new Principal Chief of the Upper Creek.

John Ridge and David Vann worked with Chief Opothleyahola on phrasing of his opening remarks in his appeal to have the Treaty of Indian Springs nullified.  They counseled him to stress that the treaty was illegal because Creek written law required all treaties to be approved by the Creek National Land to be legal.

President John Quincy Adams was appalled by that the treaty had not been negotiated following international standards. (This was like the President signing a treaty without the Senate ratifying it.)  So, he declared it null and void, if they approved representatives of the National Council would negotiate another treaty.  Never before had a treaty ratified by the Senate been nullified.

So in 1826, the Creek National Council negotiated a new treaty with the United States that gave the Creek a much better deal.  The Creek ceded most of their land in Georgia, except for a small tract near the Alabama border and the area of the Okmulgee National Monument, to the state of Georgia in exchange for a much larger payment of funds to help with their rebuilding after the Creek Civil War as well as a yearly payment.

The Creek Nation also did not have to relocate to west of the Mississippi River under the new treaty.  However, they could send a five-person delegation whose expenses would be paid by the federal government to look for suitable land west of the Mississippi River.  If they later decided to relocate the west of the Mississippi River, then the federal government would pay the expenses of relocation and resettlement.

The Creek had until 1827 to vacate their ceded land in Georgia under the treaty.

However, the land speculators who were the main donors to the election campaigns of Governor Troup were putting tremendous pressure on him to proceed with the land lottery.  They wanted to buy it cheap before most people realized the true value of the land. So, Governor Troup had already begun surveying the land to be sold in a land lottery to raise money for the state of Georgia - including land retained by the Creek under the treaty.

So, President John Quincy Adams sent federal troops to enforce the terms of the treaty, but Governor Troup sent the Georgia Militia to proceed with his illegal stealing of Creek lands.  When this happened, President John Quincy Adams backed down.  Unlike President George Washington, he was unwilling to risk civil war to protect the rights of Native Americans.

In 1827, John Davis, a full blood Creek student at the Asbury Manual Labor School and Mission came into the House of Truth.  He soon began preaching to the Creek about the Man of Truth in their language.

In 1828, Withington Station was attacked by European Americans due to the preaching of Lee and Susanna Compere against slavery.  They had to flee for their lives, and it was soon closed.

In 1830, many of the Creek Nation began relocating under the favorable terms that they had acquired in their last treaty since President Andrew Jackson had gotten the Indian Removal Act passed.

In 1832, the Treaty of Cusseta was negotiated with the Creek Nation (East), who were mostly Upper Creek, who had not yet relocated.  Chief Opothleyahola Principal Chief of the Upper Creek signed the treaty.

The treaty gave each individual Creek family two options - relocate to Indian Territory to join the Creek Nation (West) or remain on a plot of land of their choice as citizens of the United States.  Each of the ninety remaining Creek chiefs were offered a double sized plot if they chose to stay.  Those who chose relocation would receive additional aid beyond what had previously been agreed to.  It also provided funds to take care of the many Creek orphans that years of Creek infighting had produced.

However, the governor of Alabama refused to abide by the treaty and allowed continue harassment of the Creek families that had chosen to stay.  He even sent out the state militia to evict them from the lots that they had chosen.  President Andrew Jackson did nothing as he had run as a champion of state rights over the federal government.  So, all but of a small remnant ended up moving out of Alabama anyways.

This Light helped the Chickasaw defend themselves.

Around 1695, William d'Blainville Colbert was born to Catholics who had moved to Scotland from France when King James II and IV, the last Catholic King of England, came to be the king over England, Scotland, and Ireland.

In 1715, the Jacobite Rebellion began, and many highlanders of Scotland joined in the rebellion to restore King James II and IV to the throne.  This included William d'Blainville Colbert who was given the rank of Major.

In 1716, the Jacobite Rebellion ended and many of the highlanders who had supported it left Scotland out of fear of reprisals.  Most fled to America, including Major William d'Blainville Colbert.

Around 1717, Major William d'Blainville Colbert become a fur trader with the Chickasaw.  The Chickasaw called him "Piomingo".

Soon, Major William d'Blainville Colbert began living among the Chickasaw and married a Chickasaw woman named Mimey.  Mimey soon adopted the English name of Dorothy Colbert.

In 1721, Major William d'Blainville Colbert and Mimey had a son that they named James Logan Colbert.  Major William d'Blainville Colbert gave his son a basic English education and taught him what the False Church of Rome had taught him about the Man of Truth.

In 1735, James Adair, a physician who had immigrated to South Carolina from Ireland, became a deer skin trader with the Catawba, Creek, Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes.  He soon started living among the Native Americans cut off from other European Americans, except for when he went to outposts to trade in the deer skins that he had collected.

Also that year Okeye was born among the Chickasaw.   He would later be called Tishomingo.

In 1742, James Logan Colbert and Minta Hoye had a son named Cooshemataha Pyaheggo. (Minta Hoye had a Choctaw father and a Chickasaw father.)  He was also given the English name of William Colbert.

In 1744, James Adair began to live among the Chickasaw.  He was the first to tell them about the Man of Truth.

Around 1746, James Adair was sent by the governor of South Carolina on a trade emissary to win the Choctaw away as trading partners with the French during King George's War.  He worked extensively with Chief Red Shoes.

When Chief Red Shoes decide to trade with the British instead of the French, the Choctaw tribe became divided.  The western Choctaw wanting to keep trading with the French, but the eastern Choctaw wanting to trade with the British. This eventually led to a civil war among the Choctaw.

In 1749, Chief Red Shoes had won the civil war, but he was assassinated after the scheme of Governor James Glen to deal deceitfully with the Choctaw was exposed.  James Adair lost his fortune due to this and had to move away from the Choctaw.

Around 1750, Tushatohoa was born in Old Town among the Chickasaw.  He was later called Piomingo, after the Chickasaw name that had been given to Major William d'Blainville Colbert.

In 1751, James Adair moved to live among the Cherokee in South Carolina.  Soon after that, he moved back to live among the Chickasaw to rebuild his trading business. Tishomingo became the Warrior Chief, second in command under the king of the Chickasaw.

In 1759, James Logan Colbert and Minta Hoye had a son named Itawamba.  He was also given the English name of Levi Colbert.

Around 1760, James Adair began leading Chickasaw warriors in fighting against the French as allies of the British in the French and Indian War.  Around this time, William Colbert began his career as a warrior.

In 1762, James Logan Colbert and Minta Hoye had a son named Tootemastubbe.  He was also given the English name of George Colbert.

In 1763, the French and Indian War came to end with Britain gaining most of the land claimed by the French that was east of the Mississippi River.  James Adair became well known for the aid he had provided.

In 1768, James Logan Colbert and his third wife, who had a Chickasaw mother and an English father, had a son.  He was also given the English name of James Holmes Colbert.

In 1775, James Adair was urged by some of the British and Native American leaders, including Lachlan McGillivray, that he had fought along aside during the French and Indian War to write a book about how civilized he had found the Native American tribes that he had lived among for forty years to really be.  So, he left the Chickasaw to make their history and culture as well as those of the other tribes known to the European world.

Also that year, George Washington became Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolution.  At this time, the Americans were losing badly against the British, the most powerful nation on Earth.

Chief Piomingo had come into the House of Truth through the influence of James Adair.  So, under the influence of the Spirit of Truth, he formed an unswerving loyalty to the United States and supporter of George Washington.  Chief Tishomingo had something similar happen as well.

However in 1779, when approached about the Chickasaw joining the Americans in the war, Chief Piomingo refused because they had allied themselves with the French - the former enemies of the Americans that the Chickasaw had helped defeat.

In 1783, James Adair died after spending the last years of his life expounding through his writings to European Americans how civilized and valuable that the Native Americans really were.

James Adair commented on how eager the Native Americans were to learn many things to raise their standard of living to that of European Americans.  He wrote about the many things that he had taught them to improve their standard of living.  He also wrote extensively about how many of the Chickasaw had come to faith in the Man of Truth.

In 1784, Chickasaw Chief Ugulayacabe (Wolf's Friend) signed a treaty of alliance against the just formed United States with the Spanish and the Creek.  Three quarters of the Chickasaw became his followers due to this alliance.

Chief Wolf's Friend was brought into this alliance by a plot of Creek Chief Alexander McGillivray.

Chief Alexander McGillivray had fought for the British in the American Revolution, while Chief Piomingo had kept unswerving supported the United States, even though he had refused to send the Chickasaw to fight in the war.  He did not want Chief Piomingo to lead the Chickasaw in forming an alliance against the Creek with the United States.

So, he used the rivalry between Chief Wolf's Friend and Chief Piomingo to get the Chief Wolf's Friend to persuade the Chickasaw to join the Creek and Spanish in an alliance against the United States.

Also that year, James Logan Colbert died in a horse accident.

In 1786, Chief Piomingo acted boldly on the faith in the Man of Truth that he had learned from James Adair.

At this time, the young nation was recovering from near bankruptcy caused by the Revolutionary War and was internally struggling to form a permanent government.  It only had the bare minimal army and naval need to defend its borders.  It seemed to be no match for the Spanish.

Yet, Chief Piomingo knew by the Spirit of Truth that the United States would prevail over the Creek and Spanish, so the Chickasaw needed to align with it.

So, Chief Piomingo traveled to meet General George Washington in person to make an alliance between the Chickasaw and the United States against Spain and the Creek.  He was joined by King Taski Etoka and Chief Lotapaia in signing the Treaty of New Hopewell.  So, the other quarter of the Chickasaw made an alliance with the United States.

Chief William Colbert also went with Chief Piomingo, where General George Washington commissioned him as a Major of the American army.  So when Chief Major William Colbert returned, he began leading some of those Chickasaw in raids against the Spanish and Creek to help the Americans.

In 1791, Chief George Colbert led Chickasaw warriors in helping the Americans fight the Northwest Confederacy of Native Americans (including the Shawnee) and their British allies.

By 1792, Chief Wolf's Friend had used this issue to gain even more influence among the Creek.  Yet, Chief Piomingo remained resolute in his standing with the United States.

However, Chief Alexander McGillivray began sending Creek raiding parties to kill any Americans they found among the Chickasaw.  They also killed any Chickasaw identified by Chief Wolf's Friend as being aligned with the Americans, including the nephew of Chief Piomingo.

In 1793, Chief Alexander McGillivray died, and the Creek raids became less organized.

In 1794, Chief Piomingo, Chief Tishomingo, Chief George Colbert, and Chief Major William Colbert led Chickasaw warriors in helping the Americans in defeating the Northwest Confederacy of Native Americans (including the Shawnee) and their British allies.

Later that year, Chief Piomingo again went to visit President George Washington in Philadelphia to ask for help against the Creek and Spanish.  President George Washington promised that United States would bring an end to these raids - using American troops if needed.  President George Washington also gave them a charter that guaranteed the Chickasaw their land.

In 1795, King Taski Etoka died, and his brother Chinnubbee became the new king (minko) of the Chickasaw.

In 1796, the United States and Spain signed Pickney's Treaty.  The Spanish ceded all land east of the Mississippi River that was north of the 31st parallel.  The Creek raids against the Chickasaw ended as soon as the Creek realized that the Spanish would not support them in fighting against the United States.

As a result, Chief Wolf's Friend lost all influence in the tribe and the tribe became united under Chief Piomingo.

Still, in 1798 Chief Wolf's Friend, Chief Major William Colbert, and Chief George Colbert went to Washington D.C. to meet with President John Adams to discuss violations of the charter that President George Washington had given to the Chickasaw.

In 1799, George Washington and his friend Chief Piomingo both died.  Chief Wolf's Friend perhaps died that year as well since there is no mention of him after this year.

Chief Major William Colbert was chosen to fill the vacancy of diplomatic chief left by Chief Piomingo.

In 1801, the Chickasaw agreed to allow the United States to build a road through their land for trade purposes. (It was really an improvement to an existing trading path that the Chickasaw had used for centuries.)

Despite the best efforts of the United States government to remove them, European American squatters continually moved into Chickasaw land along the road.  Soon, there were 5,000 of them.

In 1805, King Chinnubbee and Chief George Colbert were approached about selling some of the Chickasaw lands to the United States government.  At first they refused, but finally sold some of the land in the Treaty of The Chickasaw Nation to pay off a large debt that the Chickasaw had accumulated with trading companies.

In 1810, Chief Levi Colbert and his Chickasaw wife Dollie had a son that then named Daughtry Winston Colbert.

In 1811, the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh came to talk to the Chickasaw about joining his confederacy of tribes in attacking the Americans.  Chief Tishomingo stood up to Chief Tecumseh told him to go home.  Chief Tecumseh left and never returned to the Chickasaw.

In 1812, Chief Tishomingo, Chief George Colbert, and Chief Major William Colbert joined General Andrew Jackson in defending the United States against the British in the War of 1812.  Chief James Holmes Colbert was given the rank of Major at this time.

In 1813, Chief Tishomingo, Chief George Colbert, and Chief Major William Colbert led the Chickasaw in fighting against the Red Sticks under General Andrew Jackson.

After Chief Tishomingo returned in 1814, white settlers began squatting on his farm.  He soon went to Washington to get the squatters removed from the land in the charter that had been given by President George Washington.

In 1816, Chief Tishomingo, Chief George Colbert, Chief Levi Colbert, Chief Major James Holmes Colbert, Chief Major William Colbert, along with the other Chickasaw Chiefs and King Chehopistee, signed the Treaty of the Chickasaw Council House.

General Andrew Jackson disregarded their great help to him previously and demanded that they cede six million acres in central Tennessee and Alabama for an annual annuity of goods.  He also disregarded the charter that General George Washington had given them - something no American leader had done before.

However, Chief Levi Colbert and Chief George Colbert forced General Andrew Jackson to agree to give the Chickasaw a much more valuable cash settlement instead.  The treaty also promoted Chief Major William Colbert to Major General for his many years of service to the United States army and gave him a sizable pension for the rest of his life.

In 1817, a fur trader surnamed Harris and the daughter of Chief Major William Colbert had a son. They named him Cyrus Harris.

In 1818, General Andrew Jackson was back to demand that the Chickasaw give up more of their lands in western Tennessee and Kentucky for land west of the Mississippi.  Again, he found Chief Levi Colbert and Chief George Colbert to be a tough negotiators.  So he ended up giving the Chickasaw a sizeable annuity and assumption of their previous debts instead.

So, Chief Tishomingo, Chief Levi Colbert, Chief George Colbert, Chief Major James Holmes Colbert, Chief Major General William Colbert, along with the other Chickasaw Chiefs and King Chehopistee, signed the Treaty of Old Town.

In 1819, the Civilization Fund Act was passed by Congress and signed by President James Monroe due to the activism of Thomas L. McKenney.  It provided money to fund Christian missions to Native American if they also taught other skills deemed necessary to bring Native American closer to European American standards.

So that year, the Cumberland Presbyterians sent Thomas C. Stuart to open a mission among the Creek.  They listened to his proposal for a free missionary school, but they rejected it.  So, Thomas C. Stuart started going westward to find a tribe that would agree.

Also that year, King Chinnubbee died, and his nephew Chehopistee became the new king (minko) of the Chickasaw.  Chief Tishomingo continued serve as second in command under King Chehopistee.

In 1820, King Chehopistee died and another nephew of King Chinnubbee, Ishtehotopa, became the new king (minko) of the Chickasaw.  Chief Tishomingo continued serve as second in command under King Ishtehotopa.

Shortly after that, Thomas C. Stuart made his proposal to King Ishtehotopa.  After consulting with Chief Tishomingo, he accepted the offer. (Many of the Chickasaw Chiefs had come into the House of Truth but had very little opportunity to learn how to follow the Man of Truth more fully.)

That same year, the Cumberland Presbyterians opened Charity Hall on land donated by Chief Levi Colbert.  He along with Chief George Colbert, Chief Major James Holmes Colbert, and Chief Major General William Colbert were anxious to have a place to send their children to learn more about the Man of Truth and skills that would help raise the Chickasaw standard of living.

In 1821, Thomas C. Stuart began construction of the mission.  He fell the first tree himself and worked tirelessly to construct it.  He named it Monroe Mission after President James Monroe, who had signed the Civilization Fund Act.

By 1822, Thomas C. Stuart and the other missionaries were teaching the Chickasaw about the Man of Truth as well as the practical skills required by the federal government.  It also included a school to teach the Chickasaw how to grow their own food more efficiently, instead of relying on hunting and gathering.

However, Thomas C. Stuart and the other missionaries were careful to not teach against any Chickasaw cultural practices, unless they were directly at odds with the Book of Truth.  They had not come to turn the Chickasaw into European Americans, but to bring them into the House of Truth.

Tishomingo was so impressed with Thomas C. Stuart that he began to attend the Monroe Mission to learn more about living like the Man of Truth. In fact, the Chickasaw were so eager to learn from someone who respected them like this, that Thomas C. Stuart soon had to build a second missionary school for the Chickasaw.

The Mission Monroe was open to whoever wanted to learn.  It also had European American and African American students.

Around 1822, Chief Levi Colbert sent Daughtry Winston Colbert to Washington D.C, so Thomas L. McKenney, the US Superintendent of Indian Trade, could mentor him.  His education and knowledge of the Man of Truth were greatly increased under the tutorage of Thomas L. McKenney.

In 1826, the United States sent negotiators to meet with Chief Levi Colbert and Chief George Colbert to negotiate a treaty to cede the rest of the Chickasaw land east of the Mississippi and for the Chickasaw to move to Indian Territory.  Chief Levi Colbert told them not a single member of the Chickasaw would consent to this and sent them away with nothing but their quote from him.

In 1827, Chief Major General William Colbert sent Cyrus Harris to the Monroe Mission, where he received a basic elementary education and came into the House of Truth.

In 1829, Chief Major James Holmes Colbert and his wife, who had a Chickasaw mother and English father, had a son named Holmes Colbert.

In 1830, the Indian Removal Act crafted by President Andrew Jackson was passed.

Chief Tishomingo, Chief Levi Colbert, Chief George Colbert, Chief Major James Holmes Colbert, and Chief Major General William Colbert could see that removal was inevitable.  They could also see that President Andrew Jackson was right about them being assimilated out of existence if they stayed among the ever-growing population of European Americans.

Still, they wanted to get on the best deal possible. So, they negotiated the Treaty of Franklin with President Andrew Jackson.

In this treaty, they would sell their land east of the Mississippi for cash payments over a twenty-year period plus be given an equal size piece of land in Indian Territory, if they could find one that was suitable.  If they found one, then they would conduct their own removal to it.

The United State negotiators were caught by surprise during the negotiations of the Treaty of Franklin.

In the previous treaties, not a single chief could read the treaty for themselves.  They had signed the treaties by making their mark next to an X beside their name.

However, this time the Chickasaw chiefs had brought their missionary educated sons, including Daughtry Winston Colbert and Cyrus Harris, with them to these negotiations to examine the fine details of the treaty.  This caused them to be able to negotiate a better deal.

So, a five-member party led by Chief Levi Colbert went to Indian Territory to find a suitable piece of land.  When they could not find one the treaty was voided.  It was never brought before the United States Senate for ratification.

By 1832, The state of Mississippi was doing all it could to make the lives of the Chickasaw unbearable.  It refused to acknowledge the treaties that the Chickasaw had made with the United States, so it encouraged European American settlers to move into Chickasaw land.  It also sought to enforce its laws on Chickasaw land contrary to all treaties.

Also, European American men were marrying Chickasaw women to gain a legal claim on Chickasaw land.  They refused to abide by Chickasaw law as specified in the prior treaties.  Assimilation was unavoidable if this continued.

When two European American men built a store on Chickasaw land contrary to federal law and treaty terms, Chief Tishomingo seized the store and sold the goods.  The men then charged Tishomingo under Mississippi law and Tishomingo was thrown in jail.  Then the Mississippi court, that provided no interpreter for Tishomingo so he could defend himself, fined him $500 to be paid to be freed from jail.

So, the Chickasaw chiefs could see that removal was the only option to keep their tribal identity and to be in control of its own destiny.  So, they asked President Andrew Jackson to send a delegation to negotiate a new treaty.

So, General John Coffee was sent to Pontitock Creek to negotiate a removal treaty with the Chickasaw.  He proceeded to ignore every concern of the Chickasaw chiefs and was disrespectful to them in every way.

Yet the Chickasaw chiefs were now desperate to move away from Mississippi.  So, General John Coffee got Chief Tishomingo freed from jail.

So, Chief Tishomingo, Chief Levi Colbert, Chief George Colbert, Chief Major James Holmes Colbert, Chief Major General William Colbert, along with the other Chickasaw Chiefs and King Ishtehotopa, signed the Treaty of Pontitock Creek.

However, the missionary educated sons of the Chickasaw chiefs had kept General John Coffee from hiding terms that were unfavorable to the Chickasaw in the new treaty.  So, they ended up with an even better treaty than the Treaty of Franklin.

It was similar to the previous treaty - except the burden of finding suitable land was now upon the United States government.  It also provided allotments of lands to each Chickasaw family that they had a year to improve.  They could then sell their allotment to European American settlers.

However, the state of Mississippi ignored the provisions of these treaties like it had all others.

It relied on the fact that President Andrew Jackson did not have the resources to send the US army to enforce the terms after reducing its size to reduce the national debt.  (He got the national debt down to $17,000.)  They also relied on his needing to appear to champion state rights to win the re-election that year.

By 1834, the United States government had not found suitable land either for the Chickasaw in Indian Territory.  Also, the Chickasaw wanted some of the provision of the treaty clarified and for their concerns to be heard that General John Coffee had refused to hear.  So, they went to Washington D.C. to have the Treaty of Pontitock Creek amended.

However, Chief Levi Colbert died on the way to Washington D.C. for further negotiations.  Chief George Colbert then filled his position as the principal negotiating chief for the Chickasaw.

Still, when they got there President Andrew Jackson listened to their concerns.  So, Chief Tishomingo, Chief George Colbert, Chief Major James Holmes Colbert, Chief Major General William Colbert, along with the other Chickasaw Chiefs and King Ishtehotopa, managed to get some important improvements amended to the treaty and ratified by the United States Senate.

These included guaranteed protections from tribes of southern plains Native Americans that the Chickasaw had previously fought with over hunting lands and protection from the European Americans, including those from Texas.  The United States would place troops in forts along the borders of Chickasaw land to enforce the protections.

Nonetheless, the state of Mississippi continued to harass the Chickasaw in every way that it could manage.

In 1836, Chief Major General William Colbert died near Pontitock Creek, and the United States government had still not found suitable land.

By this time the Monroe Mission had grown to twelve times its original size and had spun off three other missions.  The Chickasaw had come into the House of Truth in droves under the kind and gentle teaching of Thomas C. Stuart and the other missionaries.

However, the situation became so desperate that the Chickasaw began using the money that they had made from their land sales to move to live among the Choctaw.  They would live among the Choctaw until they could find suitable land in Indian Territory to purchase for themselves.  However, they found living under Choctaw laws difficult.

Finally in 1837, the Chickasaw negotiated the Treaty of Doaksville with the Choctaw to buy the western half of their land for $530,000.  This still left the Chickasaw with the most of the three million dollars that they would eventually receive for their land.

Even though it was not necessary, President Andrew Jackson had the United States Senate ratify the treaty since it defined the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation that the United States would send troops into.

So, when it was all over, the Chickasaw ended up with ten times as much money for their land as they had been offered in 1818.  The education that the sons of the Chickasaw chiefs like Daughtry Winston Colbert and Cyrus Harris had received from the missionaries had made all of the difference.

The Light could have helped the Seminole to protect themselves.

When worlds collided in 1492, the Spanish subjugated the Native Americans in the New World and forced many into the False Church of Rome via their mission system.

In 1549, the Spanish sent Dominican missionaries to Florida to coerce Native Americans into joining the False Church of Rome.  The Tocobaga tribe resisted by killing their leader.  The rest of the missionaries and soldiers fled to Spain.

The Spanish were in shock.  They had never before been defeated by Native Americans.

So in 1565, the Spanish built a new mission at Saint Augustine attached to a fortified city.   The Spanish then proceeded to build nine more missions attached to a fortified city across Spanish Florida.  These missions were run by the Jesuits.  They were known for their ruthlessness in subjugating people into the False Church of Rome.

In 1567, the Spanish built a fort with a mission in the principal town of the Tocobaga.

In 1568, the Spanish returned to the principal town of the Tocobaga with supplies.  They found the town abandoned and all of the Spanish soldiers dead.

In 1572, the Native American tribes of Spanish Florida had successfully driven the Jesuits out of Spanish Florida.  Their efforts to subjugate the Native American tribes of Spanish Florida had been a complete failure.

In 1573, Franciscan missionaries came to Spanish Florida, but were confined to living inside the protective walls of Saint Augustine, one of only two fortified cities left.  Some of the fortified cities were destroyed by other European powers, but most were destroyed by the Native Americans of Spanish Florida who resisted the coercion of the Jesuit missionaries.

By 1587, the mission at Saint Augustine was the only one still standing.  So, the Franciscan missionaries arrived with a new strategy to bring the Native American tribes of Spanish Florida under the rule of the False Church of Rome.  They began building a set of missions along the Atlantic coast went from Saint Augustine all the way to modern South Carolina.

However, some of one Timucua tribe, the Oconee (Oconi) moved to an isolated area just outside the area controlled by the missions to escape this coercion in central Georgia.  Soon, individuals from other Timucua, Mocama, and Guale tribes began joining them.

In 1597, the Gaule were led to fight back against the Spanish and the False Church of Rome by Juanillo, the heir apparent to the position of the Principal Chief of the Gaule.

In 1598, the Gaule rebellion had been put down by the Spanish.  Some of the surviving Gaule joined the Oconee.  Soon, other Hitichi speaking tribes moved into the western most part of the land of Gaule to form a loose confederation.  The Spanish called them the La Tama.

In 1603, Franciscan missionaries began building a road westward out of Saint Augustine with small, fortified trading centers attached to the missions.  They called this road the El Camino Real.

By 1633, the El Camino Real reached the land of the Apalachees and set up a mission near modern Tallahassee.  They were a Creek (Muskogee) speaking tribe that lived near modern Tallahassee, Florida.

The Spanish also found that the Tocobaga had moved there as well.

In 1637, the Spanish established a huge ranch that covered Payne's Prairie.

In 1645, the Gaule again rebelled against Spanish rule and their efforts to coerce them into becoming part of the False Church of Rome.  They almost destroyed the Spanish mission system in their land before many of them fled to join the Oconee.

In 1660, the Westo tribe with the backing of the British attacked the La Tama when the Spanish were no longer able to protect them.

The La Tama were scattered.  Some of them joined the Oconee, but most moved to the land of the Apalachees.

In 1675, the well-armed Westo tribe attacked the missions in the land of the Gaule with the aid of the British.  Some of the Gaule joined the Oconee, but most fled to the land of the Apalachees to join the La Tama.

By this time, the La Tama had unified into a new tribe.  The Spanish called this new tribe the Yamasee.

In 1677, the Tocobaga in land of the Apalachees told the Franciscan missionaries that they had not joined the False Church because no one had come to tell teach them how to follow the Man of Truth.  However, they did report that at least twenty of them had come to faith in the Man of Truth because of what they had heard from other Native Americans.

In 1684, the Westo and British pirates worked together to destroy the last of the Spanish missions out of the land of the Gaule.  Many of the Yamasee then moved back to the land of the Gaule to join the British in fighting against the Spanish.

Under the influence of the British, some of the Yamasee came into the House of Truth.

Around this same time, the Oconee moved back to the northeast corner of Spanish Florida (roughly east central Alabama and west central Georgia) to get away from the British.  However, the Spanish mission system ran by the False Church of Rome was nowhere near the border, so it was a haven from both the Spanish and the British.  Members of other local tribes soon joined them for the same reason.

In 1689, runaway African slaves from South Carolina began migrating to Spanish Florida.  The Spanish called these former African slaves and their descendants "cimarrones", from which came the English word "maroons".

In 1693, the king of Spain issued an edict that all maroons in Spanish Florida would be granted freedom in exchange for helping to defend Saint Augustine from the British.  They also had to become part of the False Church of Rome and take on "Christian" names.

By 1700, the Franciscan missionaries had forced many of the Native Americans into the False Church of Rome through the Spanish mission system.  However, there were some Native Americans who they could not coerce into joining the False Church of Rome.

Most notable of those was the Oconee and the tribes that lived near them. They could not be "civilized" by coming under Spanish rule through the religion of the False Church of Rome.  So, the Spanish called these Native American tribes in Spanish Florida collectively "cimarrones", which means "untamable".  (The Spanish used the same word for animals that could not be domesticated.)

The Hitchiti spoken by the Oconee and the related languages of neighboring tribes had no "r" sound, so the blanket term "cimarrones" became "sumilone".  This word was similar to the Creek word for a runaway, "simanoli". This is what the Creek used for members of their tribe who had ran away to live apart from the Creek towns.  This word became "Seminole" in English.

So, these loosely related tribes who resisted the False Church of Rome in Spanish Florida form a confederacy that came be known as the Seminole.  So, the Seminole were not a single tribe, but rather a Native American nation composed of various tribes united against a common enemy.   They hated the Spanish for trying to force them into joining the False Church of Rome.

Most of the tribes in the Seminole Nation were related to the Creek and Miccosukee tribes.

In 1702, the British began attacking the Spanish missions in the land of the Apalachees with their allies the Creek.  This was the beginning of the Apalachee Massacre.

By 1706, the British and their Creek allies had destroyed the last of the Spanish missions in Spanish Florida during the Apalachee Massacre.

This caused many of the remaining Tocobaga to join the Seminole.  They brought their limited knowledge of the Man of Truth with them.

Also during this year, the Spanish ranch at Payne's Prairie was abandoned due to these attacks and attacks by French pirates.

By 1709, the British and Creek had taken over the land of the Apalachees.  Most of the Apalachees had been killed or carried off as slaves during the Apalachee Massacre.

However, some of the Apalachees had left to join the Seminole.  They brought their limited knowledge of the Man of Truth with them.

In 1715, the Yamasee went to war against the British colony of South Carolina.

In 1716, James McQueen, a Scottish fur trader, began to live among the Lower Creek.  He soon married the daughter of a prominent Creek chief.

In 1717, the Yamasee War came to an end.  Many of the surviving Yamasee and other tribes soon joined the Seminole.  They brought the knowledge of the Man of Truth with them.

Others moved to live near the Spanish in Spanish Florida.

In 1726, an African born maroon named Francisco Menedez became the first maroon officer in Spanish Florida.  He led the maroons in defending Saint Augustine.

In 1727, the Yamasee who lived near the Spanish were attacked by the British, who killed almost all of them.  However, some escaped and joined the Seminole.

Around that time, the Seminole moved to live among the Lower Creek to get further away from the British settlers.  However, their chief Ahaya allied the Seminole with the British against the Spanish.

By 1738, the former African slaves were organized into a militia and created the first Free African town in North America, called Fort Mose.

In 1739, Ee-mat-la was born unto Seminole parents.  He would later become one of the first Seminole born chiefs of the Seminole.  He became so influential that the British called him King Philip.

In 1740, the Seminole shocked the European world when they came out of the swamps in large numbers to help the British attack Fort Augustine.  General James Oglethorpe had been successful in getting their help because some of them also followed the Man of Truth from their heart.

General James Oglethorpe and his Seminole allies destroyed Fort Mose.  The surviving maroons moved into Saint Augustine.

In 1750, The Seminole sought to move away from the Lower Creek as they found it difficult to prosper among them. With the Spanish weakened, they thought to migrate to the Atlantic coast of Spanish Florida (central east Florida) to engage as pirates against the Spanish.

However, on the way there, they came across Payne's Prairie in central Florida, where the Spanish had previously had large free-range ranches.  They also discovered a multitude of feral cattle and horses.

So, instead they settled there and became cowboys - a trade that some of them had learned from the Spanish.  They created a town with wooden buildings around a town square named Alachua.

Soon, Chief Ahaya and the Seminole had amassed huge herds of cattle.  Chief Ahaya had so many cattle that the British began calling him "Cowkeeper".

The Seminole then used their newfound wealth to wage continual war on the Spanish and the Native American tribes that allied themselves with Spanish.  They were able to push the Spanish back to a few forts along the coasts of Florida.

In 1756, Britain and Spain went to war as part of the Seven Year War.  This war was called the French and Indian War in America.

In 1757, Chief Ahaya went to the British governor of Georgia to offer help in fighting against the Spanish and any Native American tribes that allied themselves with Spanish.  He told the governor that he had a vision that he would not find peace in the afterlife unless he killed 100 Spanish.

Around 1760, the Seminole were forced to abandon Alachua, but they built a larger town not far away that they called Cuscowilla.

In 1763, the British won the Seven Year War.  They gained control of Spanish Florida in exchange for lands claimed by the British west of the Mississippi River.  Chief Ahaya was ecstatic that the Spanish were going have to leave Florida.

As the Spanish evacuated Florida to go to Cuba, most of the maroons left with them.  Those who stayed had either never joined the False Church of Rome or wanted to leave it.

So, the remaining maroons made a peace agreement with the Seminole.  They would be given land and cattle in exchange for paying taxes in the form of things produced from the land.  They would also help the Seminole fight against their enemies.

These maroons and the runaway slaves who later join them became known as the Black Seminole.  The Black Seminole lived in separate towns from the Seminole, but soon there was some intermarriage and a lot of intermingling of culture.

The Black Seminole adopted Seminole clothing and learned the Seminole language.  They learned how to cook Seminole food and incorporate Seminole traditions with their own.

The Seminole were also influenced by the Black Seminole.  They learned how to cultivate and cook rice from the Black Seminole.  Their language soon included some African words.

Most importantly, many of the Black Seminole had come into the House of Truth before they had run away from the plantations.  They began telling the Seminole about the Man of Truth.

The next year, 1764, the British signed a treaty with the Confederacy of the Lower Creek Towns, which included Cuscowilla.  The Treaty of Picolata gave the British the land in modern Georgia that had been part of Spanish Florida.  Chief Ahaya was not present, but his under chief Weoffke signed the treaty.

In 1765, the Lower Creek joined the Americans in the American Revolution.  However, the Seminole broke off from them and joined the British.  They were now a separate nation from the Lower Creek.

In 1780, James McQueen and his Lower Creek wife had son that they named Peter McQueen.  They also had a daughter named Anne.

When the British lost the war to the Americans in 1783, they had to give Florida back to the Spanish. Chief Ahaya was devastated and asked the British if he go to England to live with them.  He also said that the Seminole would kill any Spaniards that they found.

In 1784, Chief Ahaya died.  He said on his death bed that he had killed 86 Spaniards and his only regret was that he had not killed 100.

Chief Ahaya previously had a son through a Yamasee slave.  He had given his son the English name of Payne.  When Chief Ahaya died, Payne became the new Principal Chief of the Seminole.

Chief Payne then began leading the Seminole into conquering the smaller Native American tribes around them.  These tribes then became part of the Seminole nation under conditions similar to those of the Black Seminole.

Chief Payne sought to create a nation that similar to that of the British.  He wanted the Seminole to be on par with the Spanish, the French, and the Americans.  For this reason, he was called King Payne.

Under the rule of King Payne, the Seminole nation grew in both the amount of land it controlled and its population.  The Seminole had to build many more towns to hold all of their people including Payne's Town.

In 1796, Spain and America signed Pickney's Treaty.  Spain relinquished all claims north of the current border of Florida, with that border extending all the way to the Mississippi River.

In 1804, William Powell, a Scottish trader, and Polly Coppinger had a son they named Billy Powell.  (Polly Coppinger was the daughter of Jose Coppinger and Anne McQueen).

In 1810, King Philip and his Seminole wife had a son that they named Coacoochee.  He was better known by his nickname of Wild Cat.

In 1811, James McQueen died and was buried in the Methodist cemetery.  He had come into the House of Truth and was part of the congregation that had been established by the Methodist missionaries.

In 1812, war broke out between the British and the Americans.  The Seminole joined the British in attacking the Americans.  King Payne was killed, and his son Bolek became the new Principal Chief of the Seminole.

In 1813, the Red Sticks began leaving the Lower Creek towns to live among the Seminole when the White Sticks and their American allies began beating them badly.  Overnight, the size of the Seminole Nation tripled.

However, the American army soon followed the Red Sticks in pursuit.  As a result, hundreds of Seminole villages, including Payne's Town, was destroyed by the Americans as they continued to fight against the British and the Red Sticks.  The Americans also took most of the cattle and horses that the Seminole had accumulated.

In 1814, Chief William Weatherford, Chief Opothleyahola, Chief Menawa, the Red Prophets Peter McQueen and Josiah Francis, along with 200 Red Stick warriors also arrived to live among the Seminoles.

Under the direction of the Red Prophet Peter McQueen they built a separate Red Stick city to keep themselves separate from the Seminole that he named Angola.

In 1816, General Andrew Jackson invaded Spanish Florida to kill the Red Prophets and force the Spanish to relinquish their claim on it.  The Spanish were helpless to resist him.

However, the Seminole resisted the Americans in the First Seminole War.  They sought to prevent the Americans from taking over the kingdom that King Payne had created.

In 1819, the United States purchased Spanish Florida from Spain under the Adams-Onis Treaty.  The Seminole would now have to deal with the Americans without any European allies.

Chief Bolek died that year, possibly while fighting the Americans and his grandnephew Micanopy became the new Principal Chief of the Seminole.  He was also known by his nickname "Crazy Alligator".

Chief Micanopy started encouraging more intermarriage between the Seminole and the Black Seminole.  One reason was that many of the Black Seminole had become wealthier than the Seminole.  Soon, some of the most important positions in the Seminole Nation were filled by Black Seminole.

Also that year, the Civilization Fund Act was passed by Congress that provided money to fund Christian missions to Native American if they also taught other skills deemed necessary to bring Native American closer to European American standards.

That same year, Chief Ote Emathla and his possibly Black Seminole wife had a son named John Jumper.

In 1821, General Andrew Jackson became the first governor of Florida Territory.  One of his first actions was to destroy Angola.  When he learned that the Red Prophet Peter McQueen had been killed in the attack, he ended the fighting without pursing the remaining Red Sticks. These Red Sticks then became part of the Seminole Nation.

The Seminole fought back against these squatters, while trying not to get into another war with the United States.  Chief Micanopy began trying to work out a deal with the Americans that would allow peaceful co-existence in Florida Territory.

In 1823, Chief Micanopy sent a delegation led by the Red Stick Chief Neamathla who still lived among the Seminole.  Soon they signed the Treaty of Moultrie Creek.

This treaty left a large part of the interior of the Florida Peninsula as a large Seminole reservation.  European Americans could settle the rest of Florida Territory.  (The Americans kept control all the coastal areas to ensure that the Seminole did not return to piracy.)

The treaty also provided the Seminole with money, an interpreter, a blacksmith, and a school.  The school was staffed by missionaries who were funded by the Civilization Fund Act.  They were also the only European Americans willing to teach Native Americans at the time.

The prominent chiefs of the Seminole were the first to send their children to the missionary school.  Many of their children came into the House of Truth while attending including John Jumper.

In 1824, Chief Neamathla threatened to turn the street of Tallahassee red with blood unless the European Americans left.  Chief Neamathla and 600 Seminole warriors were met by Governor Duvall and an overwhelming American force.  The governor stripped Chief Neamathla of any right to represent the Seminole in the future before sending the Seminole back to their reservation.

Shortly after that, Chief Neamathla returned to the Creek with some of the Red Sticks.

In 1830, the Indian Removal Act crafted by President Andrew Jackson was passed.  It sought to remove all Native Americans east of the Mississippi to Indian Territory including the Seminole.

The Seminole then began negotiations for possible removal.

The Americans wanted the Seminole Nation to become part of the Creek Nation.  The Americans also wanted all of the Black Seminole to be left in Florida, so European Americans could enslave them.

The Seminole found these conditions unacceptable and began negotiating for better terms.

So in 1832, most Seminole chiefs signed the Treaty of Payne's Landing.  This treaty exchanged Seminole land in Florida for a similar size piece of land in Indian Territory, if suitable land could be found.  It also provided from annuities and money to pay for relocation as well as rebuilding.

It also made provision for the Seminole Nation to be independent from the Creek Nation twenty years after removal began.  The Seminole would be given land next to the Creek Nation but would live among the Creek until they could settle the land and build their own towns.  

The Black Seminole would also be moved to Indian Territory with the rest of the Seminole.  However, in cases where a European American could prove that a Black Seminole was their former slave, then that individual would be returned to the European American.

In 1833, a group of seven Seminole chiefs went to Indian Territory to inspect the land.  While the land was fine for raising cattle, the climate was harsher than that of Florida.  Also, they became concerned about the Creek retaliating against the Seminole since so many of them were former Red Sticks.  Even though the Creek chiefs assured them that there would be no retaliation, the Seminole chiefs were still concerned that it might be difficult living under Creek rule while the Seminole built their new homes in Indian Territory.

Still, they signed the Treaty of Fort Gibson, but it was under duress.  Even the army officer in charge of Fort Gibson protested that the Seminole chiefs had been bullied into signing the treaty and had been tricked by the vague wording used in the treaty.

The Seminole chiefs had not been educated by Christian missionaries like the rest of the Five Civilized Tribes.  They could not really understand what they were signing.

So, when the chiefs returned to the Seminole reservation in Florida, they renounced the treaty.  They also maintained that only seven chiefs could not decide the matter for the hundreds of groups that made up the Seminole.

In 1834, the Treaty of Payne's Landing was ratified by the US Senate, despite the obvious manipulation of the uneducated Seminole chiefs and them being forced to sign the treaty under duress.

However, Chief Micanopy under the advisement of four of the younger chiefs had refuse to sign the treaty.  These younger chiefs included Osceola, Alligator, Wild Cat, and John Jumper.

These young chiefs had all received some education from Christian missionaries that enabled them to understand how the vague language of the Treaty of Payne's Landing could be interpreted to the advantage of the Unite States government.  So, they all advise Chief Micanopy to not sign it.

So in 1835, Chief Micanopy and these four missionary educated chiefs led many of the Seminole into going to war against the United States in the Second Seminole War.

Those seven years of tragic war could have been avoided, if the younger missionary educated chiefs had been sent to negotiate the Treaty of Payne's Landing instead of the older uneducated chiefs.

So, the Light helped the Five Civilized Tribes protect themselves.

The education of the Five Civilized Tribes by Protestant Missionaries preserved them.  They were able to get much better terms when they finally were forced to move to Indian Territory in the Great Removal.

All real education begins with the Book of Truth.

The beginning of wisdom is learning to fear the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) (Proverbs 9:10).

The Word of Truth is a lamp to light the path of all who use it (Psalm 119:105). It gives light to those who learn it and put it into practice (Psalm 119:130).

The teachings of the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) will make anyone into a wise and understanding people who put them into practice (Deuteronomy 4:5-6).

Most importantly, it tells about the Light that causes all men to see things as they really are - the Man of Truth (John 8:12).

The Man of Truth laid down his life for the preservation of his people (John 10:15).  So in like manner, these Children of Truth followed his example in laying down their lives for their people (1 John 3:16).

They had this great love that would let them lay down their lives for others because they had came into the House of Truth (John 15:12-14).

You can have this same love come into your heart that the Father of Truth made possible through the death of His only son (Romans 5:5-10).  So, make the Man of Truth the Principal Chief over every area of your life because you believed that He raised his son from the dead (Romans 10:9-11).

Come into the House of Truth!