Indian Territory
:''Indian Country redirects here.
A Man Called Horse was previously named Indian Country.
Indian Territory, also known as
Indian Country,
Indian territory or the
Indian territories, was the land set aside within the
United States for the use of
Native Americans. The general borders were set by the
Indian Intercourse Act of 1834. It was more properly "Indian territory" (lower-case T) than "Indian Territory" (capital T) because the name referred to the
unorganized lands set aside for Native Americans, as opposed to an
organized territory meant for settlement by Easterners.
The Indian Territory had its roots in the
British Royal Proclamation of 1763, which limited white settlement to Crown lands east of the
Appalachian Mountains. Indian Territory was reduced under British administration and again after the
American Revolution, until it included only lands west of the
Mississippi River.
At the time of the American Revolution, many Native American tribes had long-standing relationships with the British, but a less developed relationship with the American rebels. After the defeat of the British, the Americans twice invaded the
Ohio Country and were twice defeated. They finally defeated a Native American confederacy at the
Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794, imposing the unfavorable
Treaty of Greenville, which ceded most of what is now Ohio, part of what is now
Indiana, and the present day sites of
Chicago, Illinois and
Detroit, Michigan to the United States.
|
Oklahoma and Indian Territory, 1890s |
The Indian Territory served as the destination for the policy of
Indian Removal, a policy pursued intermittently by
American presidents early in the nineteenth century, but aggressively pursued by President
Andrew Jackson after the passage of the
Indian Removal Act of 1830. The
Five Civilized Tribes in the South were the most prominent tribes displaced by the policy, a relocation that came to be known as the
Trail of Tears. The trail ended in what is now
Arkansas and Oklahoma, where there were already many American Indians living in the territory, as well as whites and escaped slaves. Other tribes, such as the
Delaware,
Cheyenne, and
Apache were also forced to relocate to the Indian territory.
The Five Civilized Tribes set up towns such as
Tulsa,
Ardmore,
Tahlequah,
Muskogee and others, which often became some of the larger towns in the state. They also brought their African
slaves to Oklahoma, which added to the
African-American population in the state.
In time, the Indian Territory was gradually reduced to what is now
Oklahoma; then, with the organization of
Oklahoma Territory in 1890, to just the eastern half of the area. The citizens of Indian Territory tried, in 1905, to gain admission to the union as the
State of Sequoyah, but were rebuffed by Congress and Administration who did not want two new Western states, Sequoyah and Oklahoma. Citizens then joined to seek admission of a single state to the Union. With Oklahoma statehood in November 1907, Indian Territory was extinguished.
Many American Indians continue to live in Oklahoma, especially in the eastern part.
The terms "Indian country" and "Indian territory" are often used interchangeably, although
Indian territory usually has the more specific meaning outlined above — that is, the region in the West where American Indians were compelled to relocate in the nineteenth century.
Indian country is an expression generally used today to describe (collectively or individually) the many self-governing American Indian communities throughout the United States. This usage is reflected in many places, such as in the title of the American Indian newspaper
Indian Country Today.
In the United States legal system,
Indian country is a legal term that describes American Indian reservations and trust lands. [
1].
In
U.S. military slang,
Indian country is any area where troops can expect to encounter armed opposition, a usage that became popular during the
Vietnam War.
*
Historic regions of the United States*
Trail of Tears*
Twin Territories: Oklahoma Territory - Indian Territory
