Samuel Checote facts for kids

Samuel Checote (1819–1884) was an important leader of the Creek Nation in what was then called Indian Territory. He was a brave military veteran and a dedicated Methodist preacher. Samuel Checote made history by becoming the first principal chief of the Creek Nation to be elected under their new constitution. This new rulebook was created after the American Civil War. During his time as chief, he worked hard to manage disagreements among his people. Some wanted to keep old traditions, while others were open to new ways of life.

Checote also fought during the Civil War. He supported the Confederacy, serving as a lieutenant colonel with a Creek mounted unit. After the war, he went back to preaching and helping his community.

Early Life and Education

Samuel Checote was born in 1819. His family was Muscogee, and they lived in the Chattahoochee Valley. This area is now in eastern Alabama, close to the Georgia state line. He started school at the Asbury Manual Labor School. This school was set up by Methodist missionaries near Fort Mitchell, Alabama.

In 1829, Samuel and his family were forced to move. This was part of a big event called Indian Removal. They had to leave their homes and move to Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma. They settled near where the city of Okmulgee is today.

Later, Checote attended a special school started by John Harrell. Harrell was a Methodist missionary. He encouraged Samuel to study hard. He also convinced him to become a minister for the Creek people.

Becoming a Preacher and Soldier

After the forced move, the Lower Creek Council made some strict rules. In 1832 and 1844, they passed laws saying no tribal member could preach Christianity. Samuel Checote and other Creek preachers had to leave for their safety. They stayed outside the Creek Nation until they could ask Chief Roley McIntosh for help. He listened to them and removed the unfair law.

In 1852, Checote joined a group called the Indian Mission Conference. This was part of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. This church had split from the main Methodist church because of disagreements over slavery. Some Creek people, like other Native American tribes, owned enslaved African Americans. They had brought them to Indian Territory and later bought more.

Checote continued his work as a preacher until the American Civil War began. He and many other Creek people supported the Confederacy. The Confederacy had promised them an all-Indian state if they won the war. Samuel Checote joined the Confederate Army on August 13, 1861. He was a captain in Company B of the First Regiment of Creek Mounted Volunteers. A few days later, on August 19, 1861, he became a lieutenant colonel. He and his regiment fought in several battles against Union forces. These included the 1864 Battle of Cabin Creek and a small fight at Pryor Creek.

After the Civil War ended, Checote went back to being a Methodist preacher. He became a circuit rider. This meant he traveled long distances to preach to other Creek people in their territory. He was also a leader in the Indian Mission.

Leading the Creek Nation

In 1867, Samuel Checote was elected as the principal chief of the Creek Nation. He was the very first chief to serve under the new constitution created after the war. He was so well-liked that he was elected for a second term in 1871.

Being a leader was not easy for Checote. There were many disagreements and rivalries within the tribe. These problems grew over the next ten years. Many Creek people were traditionalists. They wanted to keep their old ways and did not want to adopt European-American customs. This group, first led by Locha Harjo, did not like the new constitution.

Eventually, this group formed their own government in the town of Nuyaka. After Harjo died, they chose Isparhecher as their new chief. Isparhecher had once supported Checote and was a district judge.

During this time, Checote remained active in the Methodist Church. The Methodist Church, South, chose him to go to an international meeting in London, England, in 1882. This meeting was called the Ecumenical Council. However, he could not go because he became ill.

Problems with the rebel group continued within the Nation. In early 1883, Checote asked the Creek Lighthorse to help. This was the tribe's law enforcement unit, led by Pleasant Porter. Their job was to stop the rival movement. In February 1883, Porter's force defeated the Nuyaka rebels. This fight became known as the "Peach Orchard War" or Green Peach War.

The Nuyaka men and their families moved to Anadarko. They found safety among the Kiowa tribe there. Isparhecher went to meet with some Cherokee, hoping for their support. The United States government stepped in. They arrested the rebels and sent them to Fort Gibson. A U.S. Government group then met with both Creek sides in Muskogee. They wanted to solve the dispute.

Checote resigned as Principal Chief in mid-1883. He called for a new election. The election on September 3, 1883, was very close. It was between Isparhecher and Joseph Perryman, who was part of Checote's group. Isparhecher thought he had won and briefly served as chief in December 1883. But the Secretary of the Interior stepped in. That department decided that Perryman had won the most votes and was the rightful principal chief.

The new government, led by Perryman, named Isparhecher as their representative in Washington, D. C., in 1884. They also paid him back for his property losses and other costs during the rebellion.

Samuel Checote passed away at his home in Okmulgee on September 3, 1884.