Five Civilized Tribes

Before they were called Freedmen, they were people of African descent. They lived with and among the Native American peoples in the southeastern portion of what is now the United States. These Native American Indians were of the 5 “civilized” tribes which were the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Muskogee Creek and Seminole. Some of the Africans were slaves of the Indians. Some were free. There were various types living arrangements between the Blacks and Indians including marriage.

In 1830 President Andrew Jackson enacted the Indian Removal Act which made it legal to forcibly remove these Indians from their homes and lands. These people were forced to move to “Indian Territory which is now Oklahoma. This removal process has been called “The Trail of Tears.” A significant number of Black people were included in the forced removal.

Later, during the Civil War, these Indians, in order to preserve slavery, fought on the side of the Confederacy. After the war, a treaty agreement was signed between the Indians and the U.S. government in 1866. In addition to peace this treaty promised these Blacks freedom from slavery and full citizenship and rights in their respective tribal affiliation.

It is important to note that the Descendant Freedmen Alliance of Kansas City is a friend to Freedmen regardless of the tribal affiliation.