Treaty of Cusseta

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The Treaty of Cusseta was a land assignment agreement signed on March 24, 1832 between the government of the United States of America and the Muskogee Indian Confederation . In this treaty, all of the Muskogee settlement areas east of the Mississippi River were ceded to the United States.

prehistory

The Treaty of Cusseta one of a number of contracts on the basis of the Indian Removal Act (Engl. For " Indian Relocation Act ") between the five civilized nations of the United States were closed and the government and to the displacement and resettlement of the Indians from the south-east led into Indian territory . Between 1814 and 1830, parts of the Muskogee tribal land were gradually ceded to the federal government through treaties such as the Treaty of Fort Jackson or the Treaty of Washington . By 1830, the Muskogee territory was just a narrow strip of Alabama that ran along the Georgia border.

Although this area was protected by treaties, white squatters repeatedly invaded the tribal area and caused conflicts with the tribal members. The tension eventually led to the Muskogee attacking Roanoke , Georgia. In response, officials from the federal government met with the leaders of Muskogee in the Indian village Cusseta (Kasihta) on the banks of the Chattahoochee River , there is now the Lawson Army Airfield on Fort Benning . The Muskogee were forced to agree to the agreements in the interests of the federal government and to consent to the Cusseta Treaty. It was later signed in Washington, DC .

Terms of contract

The treaty stipulated the cession of all tribal areas of the Muskogee east of the Mississippi River to the federal government and the abandonment of all claims of the Muskogee on this land. This included the small piece of land in Alabama. In return, the tribal members received individual parcels in the former tribal area. Each of the ninety chiefs received a parcel of 2.6 square kilometers, each family was entitled to half a parcel of their own choice. Despite this assurance, the government made it clear in the contract that it wanted as many Muskogee as possible to be relocated as quickly as possible, and assured everyone willing to relocate the expenses for the first year after their deportation. A payment to the Confederation of approximately $ 350,000 was also part of America's obligations under the agreement. Another 51 square kilometers should be made available by the government to be sold for the benefit of the Indian orphans and to secure their livelihood.

Consequences of the contract

Many of the new landowners among the Muskogee were unaware of the value of their land. After the treaty went into effect, they quickly fell victim to land speculators and white settlers who bought the land for a fraction of its value. The Muskogee who kept their land were quickly overwhelmed by the squatters as state and federal officials refused to support the Indians. When individual Muskogee defended themselves against the squatters, they were often prevented by the local militias from enforcing their promised rights. The situation came to a head around 1835 and violent clashes broke out between the Muskogee and the white settlers, known as the Creek War . The United States government decided to pacify the region by forcibly relocating the Muskogee into Indian territory. This deportation became known as the Path of Tears .

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