Treaty of Cusseta facts for kids
The Treaty of Cusseta was an important agreement signed on March 24, 1832. It was made between the government of the United States and the Creek Nation, also known as the Creek people. This treaty meant that the Creek Nation gave up all their land claims east of the Mississippi River to the United States.
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Why the Treaty Happened
The Treaty of Cusseta was one of several agreements made with groups known as the "Five Civilized Tribes." These tribes included the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole.
Between 1814 and 1830, the Creek people slowly lost their lands. This happened because of pressure from European-American settlers and the U.S. government. Treaties like the Treaty of Fort Jackson and the Treaty of Washington (1826) had already taken much of their territory. By 1830, the Creek lands were limited to a small strip in eastern Alabama, near the Georgia border.
In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. This law aimed to move Native American peoples from the Southeast to a new area called the Indian Territory. This territory was located west of the Mississippi River.
Growing Tensions Over Land
Even though earlier treaties said that white settlers could not live on Creek lands, many settlers moved there anyway. These "squatters" built homes and farms on Creek territory. This caused many problems and arguments with the Creek people.
The settlers took over land and competed for animals that the Creek hunted. They also destroyed hunting areas by clearing land for farms. These tensions grew, and eventually, some Creek warriors attacked and burned the town of Roanoke, Georgia.
In response to these events, U.S. government officials met with Creek leaders. They met in the Creek village of Cusseta (also called Kasihta). This village was located on the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. Today, Lawson Army Airfield at Fort Benning is on the old site of Cusseta. The Creek leaders felt forced to agree to the terms the U.S. government offered. The treaty was later officially signed in Washington, D.C..
What the Treaty Said
The Treaty of Cusseta made the Creek Nation give up all their land claims east of the Mississippi River. This included all their territory in Alabama.
In return, individual Creek people were supposed to receive their own pieces of land within their former territory.
- Each of the ninety Creek chiefs was to get one section of land. A section is about 1 square mile (2.6 square kilometers).
- Each Creek family was to receive half a section of land. This is about 0.5 square miles (1.3 square kilometers). They could choose where their land would be.
However, the treaty also made it clear that the U.S. government wanted to move as many Creek people as possible to the west, and quickly. The United States agreed to pay for the travel costs of Creek people who moved for the first year after they relocated. The treaty also said the U.S. would pay the Creek Nation about $350,000. It also set aside 20 square miles (51 square kilometers) of land to be sold to help support Creek orphans.
What Happened After
After the treaty began, many new Creek landowners were taken advantage of. They often did not know how much their land was worth. Settlers quickly bought the land promised by the treaty for very little money.
Some Creek people managed to keep legal ownership of their lands. But they were soon overwhelmed by squatters who moved onto their property. State and federal officials usually refused to remove these squatters. If individual Creek people tried to protect their land rights, local groups of armed citizens, called the militia, often fought against them.
By 1835, the situation became very difficult. Open conflict broke out between the Creek people and the settlers. The U.S. government responded to these problems by forcing most of the remaining Creek people to move to the Indian Territory in the west.
Images for kids
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Creek land given up by the Treaty of Cusseta is shown in blue.
