How would you characterize the position of each historical actor? How specifically did each actor support his or her position? Ultimately, why was there an Indian Removal crisis?

Choctaw Leaders Argue For Self-Determination (1830)

One of the early laws of the Jackson administration, the Indian Removal Act of 1830, provided for the uprooting of the Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks, and Seminoles, who combined for a population of around 60,000 in the American Southeast. The law repudiated the idea that “civilized” Indians could be assimilated into the American population.

The Choctaw Nation was organized in three districts, each headed by an elected “medal chief.” Mushulatubbe, the lead Choctaw negotiator of the 1825 Treaty of Washington, had been chief of the northeastern district before being replaced by David Folsom (a man with a white father and Choctaw mother) in 1826. John Pitchlynn was a white man who married a Choctaw woman and had long served as an interpreter for the Choctaw Nation. Middleton Mackey was also an interpreter. On May 6, 1830, Jackson submitted this protest (below) to the Senate along with the March 17 removal treaty to which the Choctaws were objecting.

Choctaw Nation March 25. 1830

Friend and Brother,

The subject on which we would wish to address you, is one of the utmost importance to the welfare, and happiness of the Choctaw Nation. At no period with the Choctaws has there been so much distress and disatisfaction existing among the people as there are evidently felt at this time with at least more than two thirds of the community and we know not to whom we could better pour forth our grievances than to our Great Father the president, the fountain head of power, where all his red children can if they speak be heard and listened to. Friend and Brother, we would wish you to open to us your ears, and attentively listen to what we shall say in behalf of our afflicted and distressed Country. We are sorry, we are distressed. And this is owing to the late proceedings of some of our head men in the nation at a Council held in the uper Towns. The result of this Council was made known to us but three sleeps ago, and which is, that a proposition has been made to the Government for the soil of all our Country East of the Mississippi river. We have no objection to sell our Country, and go west of the Mississippi river, for there we know we can live unmolested as long as we are a nation, and where we shall be out of the jurisdiction of all the States in the Union, and where we know our Great Father the President can, and will protect us.

This you have told us, and we believe it to be true, but we have a serious objection to any Treaty being made where it does not meet the full approbation of at least one half of the nation, and most particularly when it is done entirely unknown to the people, and understood only by a few individuals and when it will be made to give to those same individuals ten Sections of each land to each, who have done more injury to the Nation than good. The persons to whom we allude is Folsom and Leflore and other designing half breeds who have got themselves into office by management and intrigue. Why should Folsom and Leflore receive ten Sections of land each, and our beloved Mingo Musholatubby who served his nation more than Sixteen years, and who at all times was the true friend of the Americans, in time of peace as well as in war, should not receive no more than a Common warrior of the land which he alone can say as his Father the Beloved Mingo said, this land is mine, all this country is mine, and why is it that the halfbreeds alone are to be benifitted more by a Treaty than the real pure Choctaws. It is because we are ignorant, and because we are poor that we should be neglected. If any people in the world that can call any portion of the land of this world their own we the real Choctaws can truely say that this our own land, This is our own Country.

Therefore, if this Country is to be treated away, who but the real Choctaws should have the honour of selling it. Our right to the soil we live on is paramount to all others. Let then the Government treat with us your Children, who are the true inheritors of all this Country, and who alone have the right of selling or disposing with it as they may think propper. We say we are your Children. You have acknowledged us as such. It was a full blooded Choctaw that first gave his hand to the Great and Good Washington and called him Father. It was no proud and conceited half breed. As Children we have been dutifull towards you, we have not been unruly & fractious at no time as many of our other red Children have been and done you injury, no; we have at no time ever done you any injury, but we have done you good whenever we had it in our power to do so. We ask of our great Father the War Chief Jackson who was it that fought by his side in the late war. was not it our Pushmataha and Musholatubby and their brave warriors? Let him remember the good deeds we have rendered for the United States and for our great Father. Let him remember our unchangable friendship and above all remember us as a poor helpless and distressed people. If there is a treaty made between the Government and the Choctaws let all, the full blooded, as well as the half breeds, be equals in the proffits arising from the Treaty. This will be the only way to give satisfaction to all

We say we are willing to sell our Country, but never under any conditions where in it will make a few very rich…[letter goes on to describe how Folsom and Leflore gain advantages but are not supported in elections by most Choctaws]…The people in this District and also in the other Districts has ever had the privellege of selecting and making who they please as their Chief, and removing them from office whenever it suited them, but never have there been as yet a single instance where the Chief had the power of transferring his warriors into the hands of any other Chief or mingo at their own option, but however Folsom and Garland have assumed a privellege and a power that never was placed in the hands of any Chief in the Choctaw Nation. And we therefore warn you in time not to agree to the propposition which was made at the late Council by Leflore and his party, for we assure you it is not a general understanding among us. and we are fully determined to never agree to it let the Consequence be as it may. Some of us were at the Council when the propposition for the sail of our Country was made It was formed by Folsom and Leflore in a secret apartment without the consideration of any other individual, except two or three missionaries, and when they had finished it, the people were called togather at a late hour of the night, when it was read to them.

We were displeased with it, and we found others to be also even those who signed their names to the talk to be sent to our Great Father, but what was more displeasing to us, and truely disgusting, was when we saw those Individuals (Folsom and Leflore) so uncommonly anxious for the people to sign this talk. Every thing was urged and done in a hurry, and not even a minutes time was allowed for deliberation. If you have a mind to do justice by us I know you will not agree to any treaty made with our nation unless it is with the whole nation and where it will give satisfaction at least to all the full blooded Choctaws, Therefore in order that this may be the case we would be glad if it is the wish of your Government to treat for our lands that you would send Commissioners to the nation and we will show them that we have the power and will sell our Country, but we will make a fair and an honest treaty with them, and not under such considerations as that which is proposed by Leflore and Folsom. When we make a treaty we do not want the missionaries to be present. Let them attend to their propper vocations, and meddle not with the concerns of the Nation. The missionaries we are sorry to inform you that they are a meddlesome set and have not done much good among us, no, but they have been the cause of a great deal of injury to the nation and also the Government. For they are the very set that has ever opperated against the policy of your Government towards the Choctaws and thereby deprived us of those advantages and those blessings which it has been the wish of your Government to bestow to us. We have always been confident that your Government would not wrong our people, nor recommend us to nothing but what would tend to our happiness and prosperity, but nevertheless your views as respects for the removal of our nation to the west, have heretofore disapointed by Missionary Counsel and intrigue. I wish our father the President but knew these people as well as we do. We would not wish you to think because we do not the missionaries that we do not wish to encourage among our people the habits of civilized life—that we do not wish our youths to be educated and brought up as white people. As a people, that we are disposed to the reverse of this, we will present to you as an instance of it our Cherished institution in Kentucky The Choctaw Academy. Musholatubby was the founder of that Academy, and sent his sons there to be educated.

Friend and Brother

In consequence of the iniquitous proceedings of the Halfbreed Chiefs and their party a great many of the people from most every Section of the Country have met together and joined in making you this communication. They have at the same time appointed a General Council, to take place on the 16th of April, where every man is to attend with Guns and deadly weapons, we are determined to die, or have justice done us and never to consent or agree to any treaty that is made in the dark by designing and avaricious men. Such as Leflore and Folsom.

We have the honour of subscribing ourselves your friends and brothers.

Mingo Mushulatubby his X mark

Mingo Nittukaichee X

Mingo Eyarhokatubby X

General Talking Warrior X

Captain J. Kincaid his X mark

[Thirty additional signatures follow.]

We Do Certify that the above is a true Interpretation

John Pitchlynn

M. Mackey, US [Interpreters]

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