Benjamin Hawkins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benjamin Hawkins
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| United States Senator from North Carolina |
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| In office November 27, 1789 – March 4, 1795 |
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| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Timothy Bloodworth |
| Member of the Congress of the Confederation | |
| In office 1781 – 1783 1787 |
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| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives | |
| In office 1778 – 1779 1784 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | August 15, 1754 Granville County, Province of North Carolina, British America |
| Died | June 6, 1816 (aged 61) Crawford County, Georgia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Roberta, Georgia, U.S. 32°40′0.61″N 84°5′45.73″W / 32.6668361°N 84.0960361°W |
| Political party | Pro-Administration (1789–1791) Anti-Administration (1791–1795) |
| Alma mater | College of New Jersey |
Benjamin Hawkins (born August 15, 1754 – died June 6, 1816) was an important American leader. He was a planter, a statesman (meaning he was involved in government), and a U.S. Indian agent. He worked to build relationships between the U.S. government and Native American tribes.
Hawkins was a delegate to the Continental Congress. He also served as a U.S. Senator for North Carolina. In 1796, George Washington appointed him as a commissioner to the Creek Indians. Later, Thomas Jefferson made him the main agent for Native American affairs in the southern U.S.
Hawkins set up the Creek Agency and his own farm near what is now Roberta, Georgia. He learned the Muscogee language. He also married a Creek woman named Lavinia Downs and had seven children with her. He wrote many detailed reports about the Creek, Choctaw, Cherokee, and Chickasaw tribes. Hawkins built a large farm with mills. He also raised many cattle and hogs, using the labor of enslaved people.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Benjamin Hawkins was born on August 15, 1754. His parents were Philemon and Delia Hawkins. He was the third of four sons. His family had a farm and a large plantation in what is now Warren County, North Carolina.
He went to local schools. Then he attended the College of New Jersey, which is now Princeton University. Benjamin was very good at learning different languages. This skill helped him later when he learned Native American languages. He left college early because British troops were getting close.
After leaving college, Hawkins became a Colonel. He worked for George Washington for several years. He was Washington's main interpreter for the French language.
Political Career and Public Service
Hawkins left his service with George Washington in late 1777. He then returned home to North Carolina. In 1778, he was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. He served there until 1779 and again in 1784.
The North Carolina General Assembly chose him to be a delegate. He represented North Carolina in the Continental Congress from 1781 to 1783, and again in 1787.
In 1789, Hawkins was a delegate at the Fayetteville Convention. This meeting approved the U.S. Constitution for North Carolina. He was then elected to the first U.S. Senate. He served as a Senator from 1789 to 1795. At first, he supported the government's policies. Later, he often sided with the Anti-Administration Party.
Working with Native American Tribes
In 1785, Benjamin Hawkins represented the U.S. Congress. He helped negotiate land agreements with the Creek Indians. He was quite successful and helped reduce raids for several years. However, he could not get a formal treaty signed. The Creek people wanted to deal with the main leader. They finally signed the Treaty of New York (1790) after Hawkins got George Washington involved.
In 1786, Hawkins and other agents made a treaty with the Choctaw nation. This treaty set boundaries for Choctaw lands. It also made rules for how the tribe and the U.S. government would interact.
In 1796, President Washington appointed Hawkins as the General Superintendent of Indian Affairs. This meant he was in charge of relations with all tribes south of the Ohio River. As the main agent for the Creek tribe, Hawkins moved to what is now Crawford County, Georgia. There, he set up his home and the Creek Agency. He learned the Creek language and was accepted by the tribe. He wrote many important reports about the Creek and other tribes in the Southeast.
Life and Work in Georgia
Hawkins had a plan to help Native Americans adopt European-American ways of life. He wanted them to farm and raise animals. He started teaching these farming methods to the Creek people. He also began a farm at his home on the Flint River.
He brought enslaved Black workers from North Carolina to his new farm. He also bought more enslaved people later. These workers helped him clear hundreds of acres for his plantation. They built a sawmill, a gristmill (for grinding grain), and a trading post. Hawkins's farm grew very large. He had over 1,000 cattle and many hogs. He also grew huge amounts of corn and other crops.
For many years, Hawkins met with tribal chiefs at his home. They discussed important matters there. His hard work and generosity earned him great respect. People said he never lost an animal to Native American raiders. He became a trusted leader and was known as "The Beloved Man of the Four Nations."
Hawkins helped maintain peace between settlers and the Creek tribe for 19 years. This was the longest period of peace during the time of European-American settlement. In 1806, the government built a fort on the Ocmulgee River. It was built to protect new settlements. This fort was named Fort Benjamin Hawkins in his honor.
Much of Hawkins's work for peace was undone in 1812. A group of Creek rebels, called Red Sticks, wanted to bring back traditional ways. They also wanted to stop European Americans from taking their land. This led to a civil war among the Creeks. It happened at the same time as the War of 1812.
During the Creek War of 1813-1814, Hawkins organized "friendly" Creek Indians. They fought alongside the Georgia and Tennessee militias against the Red Sticks. General Andrew Jackson defeated the Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Hawkins could not attend the negotiations for the Treaty of Fort Jackson in August 1814. This treaty forced the Creeks to give up most of their land.
Hawkins continued to work for peace. He organized Creek warriors to oppose a British force that threatened to restart the war. After the British left in 1815, Hawkins was organizing another force when he suddenly became ill. He died on June 6, 1816.
Hawkins tried to resign from his job several times. He wanted to return from the Georgia frontier. However, no President would accept his resignation. He remained Superintendent until his death. Near the end of his life, he formally married Lavinia Downs. This was done to ensure their children were recognized in U.S. society. Their children were already part of Lavinia's clan among the Creek people.
Benjamin Hawkins was buried at the Creek Agency near the Flint River in Roberta, Georgia. David Brydie Mitchell, a former Governor of Georgia, took over his role as Indian agent.
Fort Hawkins was built overlooking an ancient site. This site is now called the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. It shows 17,000 years of human history. It is a very important historical site. It has huge earthwork mounds that are nearly 1,000 years old. These mounds show the religious and political beliefs of the Mississippian culture, who were ancestors of the Creek people.
Hawkins and Slavery
Benjamin Hawkins's plantation used the labor of enslaved people. He also used the Creek Agency and Fort Benjamin Hawkins as places to hold enslaved people who had run away. He paid Native Americans money for every runaway enslaved person they brought to him. He expected the owners of these enslaved people to pay him back. If a captured Black person did not have an owner, Hawkins told the Creeks they could keep them. This encouraged slavery among the Creeks.
Hawkins was the first to use the term "negro fort" for a British post on the Apalachicola River. This fort was in Spanish Florida at the time. Hawkins called for this fort to be captured or destroyed.
Family Life
Benjamin Hawkins married Susan Lavinia Downs. Some people believe she was a Creek Indian woman, while others think she was white. They had six daughters: Georgia, Muscogee, Cherokee, Carolina, Virginia, and Jeffersonia. They also had one son, James Madison Hawkins. In 1812, thinking he was dying, Hawkins remarried his wife Susan Lavinia Downs. This was to make sure their children were recognized as legitimate in U.S. society. Their youngest daughter, Jeffersonia, was born after this marriage.
Hawkins was close to his nephew, William Hawkins. He made William a co-executor of his will, along with his wife. He left William a share of his estate, which was said to be very large. This part of his will caused some disagreements among his heirs. This was especially true because he had not changed his will to include his youngest daughter, Jeffersonia.
Legacy and Honors
- Hawkinsville, Georgia is a town named in his honor.
- Hawkins County in Tennessee also bears his name.
- A Boy Scout camp near Byron, Georgia, is named the Benjamin Hawkins Boy Scout Camp.
- The archeological site of the original Fort Benjamin Hawkins is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is also part of the Fort Hill Historic District in Macon, Georgia, which is also on the NRHP.
- Hawkins was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1813.
Images for kids
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Benjamin Hawkins, portrayed on his plantation, teaches Creek people to use European technology. Painted in 1805.
