A Trusted Ally to the Seminole Nation

The official shield of the Seminole Nation of Flordia 

Native Americans and African slaves had a lot in common, they were constantly fighting for their freedom. There were few places to flee too as an escaped slave in the 1680s. But, the Seminole Nation of Florida was one of those few places. They welcomed the refugees with open arms and created perhaps one of the strongest allies in Native American history.

The Seminole Nation of Florida was not one tribe, but a nation of many tribes. They were located throughout the deep south each one welcoming African slaves. The escaped slaves who joined the Seminoles were known as Seminole Maroons, Seminole Freedmen, or most commonly known as Black Seminoles. It was almost destined that the Seminole Nation were the ones to provide refuge to escaped slaves. Because the word Seminole is derived from, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, “a Creek word meaning ‘separatist’ or ‘runaway.’ Because slavery had been abolished in 1693 in Spanish Florida, that territory became a safe haven for runaway slaves. Fleeing slaves came by the thousands and created their own communities within the Seminole Nation.

A Black Seminole leader, drawn by John T. Sprague in 1848

Encyclopedia Britannica explains, “most Black Seminoles lived separately from the Indians in their own villages, although the two groups intermarried to some extent, and some Black Seminoles adopted Indian customs.” This cultural fusion created an entirely new African/Indian culture. The Black Seminoles practiced religions that had mixtures between African, Christian, and Seminole traditions sprinkled in together. Talk about a fusion of different cultures, you have African, Native American, and European traditions being practiced and fused together all within one community. As far the Black Seminoles language went, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, they spoke “an English Creole similar to Gullah and sometimes called Afro-Seminole Creole.”

There is a common misconception that former slaves living with Seminole Nation were forced back into slavery. This is incorrect. The Seminole Nation used the term ‘slave’ much differently than the states north of Florida did. The way they used the word had nothing to do with forced labor or unpaid work. Rather the word ‘slave’ meant they were guests of the Seminole Nation. And as guests of the nation, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, “they [had to] pay an annual tribute to the Seminole Indians in the form of a percentage of their harvest.” In fact, Black Seminoles were quite prosperous. They became farmers, hunters, and warriors.

A Black Seminole Warrior during
the First Seminole War

Besides being under one nation, Seminoles of all skin tones had a shared interest; resisting against Europeans moving on to their land. In fact, this was the root cause of all three wars the Seminole Nation fought against its European antagonizers. The First Seminole War (1817-1818) began because, according to historian Samuel T. Morrison, “U.S. authorities [were trying to] recapture runaway black slaves living among Seminole bands.” Under the command of General Andrew Jackson, the U.S army invaded Seminole villages, burning many them to ground. U.S forces made their way into the Spanish held territory, which is present-day Florida. This is where they came across a fort built by escaped slaves. The forts name was Fort Negro (a very creative name) which was home to over 300 black men, women, and children. The fort was located 60 miles within the Spanish held territory. Historian Samuel T. Morrison describes the fort, “its surrounding fields, and pasture land, extended fifty miles along the Apalachicola River,  became ‘a beacon light to restless slaves for miles around’ and its mere existence was considered ‘an unceasing threat to the property rights of the slave-owners along the border and as such its abatement was demanded.’” But, General Edmund Gaines disregarded the fact that the fort was not within the jurisdiction of the US Army, and decided to destroy it. As General Gaines states in his journal, his goal was to “return the stolen negroes and property to their rightful owners.” The U.S Army fired a cannonball into the fort hitting the ammunition building, blowing the entire fort to shreds. Some 270 innocent men, women, and children were murdered.

A photo of General Edmund Gaines found in the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Joshua Giddings (1795-1864), a prominent abolitionist politician from Ohio, puts the attack on Fort Negro best:

“Perhaps no portion of our national history exhibits such disregard of international law, as this unprovoked invasion of Florida. For thirty years, the slaves of our Southern States have been in the habit of fleeing to the British Provinces. Here they are admitted to all the rights of citizenship, in the same manner as they were in Florida. They vote and hold office under British laws; and when our Government demanded that the English Ministry should disregard the rights of these people and return them to slavery, the British Minister contemptuously refused even to hold correspondence with our Secretary of State on a subject so abhorrent to every principle of national law and self-respect. Our Government coolly submitted to the scornful arrogance of England, but did not hesitate to invade Florida with an armed force, and to seize faithful subjects of Spain, and enslave them.”

Black Seminoles survived the war and their ancestors still live within the Seminole Nation today. Their contributions to the nations cultural and historical narrative have been substantial. Black Seminoles have helped their nation fight for equal rights and protect their land. Black Seminoles are living examples of what opening the door to people in time of need can do to a culture and a nation.

Citations:

Bauer, Patricia. "First Seminole War." Encyclopædia Britannica. April 16, 2018. Accessed April 12, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/event/First-Seminole-War.

Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States. Boston: Beacon Press, 2015.

Kuiper, Kathleen. "Black Seminoles." Encyclopædia Britannica. January 21, 2016. Accessed April 12, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Seminoles.

Morison, Samuel T. "History and Traditions in American Military Justice." The University of Pennsylvania. October 30, 2011. Accessed April 12, 2019. http://www.citationmachine.net/chicago/cite-a-website/manual.