The Once Proud Five Trivia Quiz

Answer: George Washington

In 1790, Henry Knox, Secretary of War in the Washington administration negotiated the Treaty of New York. The following is a quote from that document, "That the Creek nation may be led to a greater degree of civilization, and to become herdsmen and cultivators, instead of remaining in a state of hunters, the United States will from time to time furnish gratuitously the said nation with useful domestic animals and implements of husbandry". Washington was of the opinion that the natives could be assimilated.

The issue of colonial expansion versus the indigenous population was present from the very beginning of colonization. The French and Indian War was the North American phase of the Seven Years War (1756-1763) between France and Great Britain. The British victory meant the acquisition of huge territories in North America. The subsequent Proclamation of 1763, by which King George III forbade colonization of any lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, was meant to appease the indigenous population. Of course, it angered the colonists and was one of the causes of the revolution.

Answer: Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson wanted the Native Americans to become Americans and assimilate or be forcibly removed from their ancestral lands. The five tribes were called "civilized" because they had partially adopted white culture and they had signed treaties in which they agreed to removal. Jefferson's writings and actions about and towards Native Americans demonstrate the complexity of the times, the conflicts of colonization, and the policies of warfare and cultural genocide.

Answer: True

The term "Five Civilized Tribes" was used in colonial America and early American society to refer to the tribes that had developed extensive economic ties with whites or had assimilated into American culture. Some members of these southeastern tribes had adopted European clothing, spoke English, and practiced Christianity.

Answer: True

The Choctaw were mostly farmers in southern Mississippi. When the French lost the war, the Choctaw were forced to cede 5 million acres of their ancestral land. With the advent of the cotton gin southern land was more valuable and many Choctaw voluntarily moved west to Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

The Choctaw were the first tribe to relocate after the Indian Removal Act became law by the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. A total of 15,000 people were relocated.

Answer: Sharp Knife

Jackson's intentions regarding Indian removal have been a subject of debate among historians. Many of his contemporaries believed that Jackson was the quintessential "Indian fighter" and held him in great esteem; these contemporaries considered him a "benevolent father" by relocating the Indians to the west of the Mississippi and thereby preventing their demise. Historians' reflections on his actions aren't so kind.

Jackson's policies towards slaves and the institution itself are well documented. Likewise, he felt Native Americans were subservient to white people. Jackson clearly wanted Native Americans "removed" from their ancestral lands for the benefit of white settlers. The following is a quote from an article by award-winning journalist Erin Blakemore: "He (Jackson) insisted it (removal) was for the best; the Native Americans, whom he saw as savages and referred paternalistically to as 'my red children,' were, to him, merely collateral damage in a grand push to achieve progress for white Americans."

Jackson did have a scar on his face. He got it when at age 13 he was captured during the American Revolution and a British major wanted Jackson to shine his boots, Jackson refused, causing the major to attack him.

Answer: The Treaty of Fort Jackson

The Treaty of Fort Jackson signaled the end of the Creek Nation and the other four civilized tribes. The Creeks had occupied much of Georgia and what was to become Alabama. The treaty brought an end to the Creek War and forced the Creeks to cede 22 million acres.

Answer: discovery of gold in Georgia

Gold was discovered on Cherokee land in Georgia in 1828. In December 1835, the Treaty of New Echota, signed by a small minority of the Cherokee, ceded to the United States all Cherokee land east of the Mississippi River for $5 million. Those who signed the treaty were considered traitors by the majority of the Cherokee. Those tribal members took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court (Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 1831) The court found that Georgia had no authority to cede Cherokee land. But Georgia and President Andrew Jackson ignored the Court's ruling and Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Sixteen thousand Cherokee were thus gathered into camps while their homes were plundered and burned. Thus began "The Trail of Tears."

Though assimilation had been forcibly thrust upon them, the Cherokee were remarkable for their adaptation. The tribe formed a government modeled on that of the United States. Perhaps most remarkable of all was the way the Cherokee language, adapted to English. Sequoyah, a Cherokee, developed a system of writing in which each symbol represented a sound. Soon the entire tribe was literate.

Answer: Treaty of Pontotoc Creek

The Treaty of Pontotoc Creek was signed in 1831, but the Chickasaws were one of the last to move in 1837 to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. The Chickasaws were a largely agrarian culture with a relatively small population of three-four thousand.

Answer: Osceola

Osceola was the leader among the Seminoles and was determined to resist resettlement. After learning that they did not intend to leave Florida, General Thompson informed the Seminoles that President Jackson had authorized him to remove them by force if necessary. On December 28, 1835, as Major Francis Dade was leading more than 100 soldiers from Fort Brooke (near Tampa) to Fort King (near present-day Ocala), some 180 Seminoles and their allies ambushed the troops, killing all but three. The Dade Massacre marked the start of the Second Seminole War. That same day Osceola killed General Thompson. Throughout 1836, Seminoles attacked plantations, outposts, and supply lines, and ambushed U.S. troops.

Near the end of 1836, General Thomas Jesup took command of the U.S. forces, and changed strategy, sending small groups of men to pursue Seminole bands. The strategy worked and in October 1837, Jesup set up a false truce and captured Osceola and dozens of his followers.

Answer: John Ross

John Ross was of mixed heritage and tried to convince his people that relocation was their best option. Of the roughly 60,000 people who began the westward journey, approximately 14,000 died. Over half of the dead were Cherokee.