Lessons on Ft. Heileman and the Seminole Wars

Part I: Using Primary Sources 1. Read through the “Primary Source” documents at this website to learn about the events and actions relating to Ft. Heileman. Pick three of the documents to evaluate using the questions below. Write a paragraph for each document analyzing and summarizing the answers to these questions.

Evaluating the reliability of Primary Sources First, ask some basic questions: 1. What is it? 2. Who wrote or made it? 3. When was it written or made? 4. Where was it written or made? 5. How was it written or made? 6. What evidence does this source contribute?

Then ask questions to describe, define, and identify the meaning of the primary source: 1. Why was this document/object written or made? 2. Who was the intended audience/user? 3. What questions does this source raise? What is not known about this source? 4. What other information is available about this document or object? 5. What other sources are like this one? 6. What other sources might help answer questions about this one? 7. What else is needed to understand the evidence in this source? 8. What have others said about this or similar sources? 9. What kind of research questions does this source address? 10. How does evidence from this source alter or fit into existing interpretations of the past? Credit: Library of Congress, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/primary.html http://www.dohistory.org/home.html 2. Using the Primary Source Documents from the Library of Congress included with this website, describe the impact the settlers’ migration to the fort imposed on the resources and infrastructure at the fort. Describe “life” at the fort. Add to your research: Explain the status of medicine during the first half of the nineteenth century. Describe a typical military hospital. What medicines were common? What training did physicians and nurses have? How does the situation at the fort compare to the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans? Part Two: Expand the knowledge base

1. In the 1800s the United States grew from thirteen states clinging to the east coast, to a huge country stretching from sea-to-shining-sea and from the tropical Gulf of Mexico to the ice and snow of Alaska. Americans believed it was God’s will, their “manifest destiny” that they should control all this land. Investigate the origins of the term “manifest destiny,” and create a color-coded map showing the various land acquisitions during the nineteenth century. How did the British, French, Spanish, and Russian maps differ from the American maps prior to each acquisition? Write a paragraph explaining the circumstances of each acquisition. Describe the mental map Americans carried in their heads in the nineteenth century.

2. Describe the evolution of transportation during the first half of the nineteenth century. When the century started, the only modes of transport were powered by humans or animals. What changes and inventions occurred? What roads served Whitesville and North Florida? Where did the roads lead? Where did water connections lead? What limitations were there on ferry transport? Why did the area around Gerry’s Ferry become home the largest cluster of settlers in the county by the time Clay County was created in 1858?

3. Explore the Congressional discussions during the three phases of the Seminole Wars. Who has the power to declare war? Was “war” ever declared? Who has the power to move and command the troops? What did the Supreme Court say in the Cherokee cases about the relationship between the Native Americans, the State of Georgia and the Federal government? What Andrew Jackson’s response to the Supreme Court ruling? What is the legal relationship between the reservations and the states and the Federal government today? When and how did Native Americans become American citizens?

4. How does the story of Ft. Heileman fit into the history of army forts in the US? What other forts were built during the Seminole Wars? How many forts were built during the Indian Wars later in the nineteenth century? How did western forts differ from forts elsewhere? The US is currently considering building a military base on the Iran-Iraq border. How will the functions of this fort compare to Ft. Heileman and to the western forts? 5. What happened to the Seminoles in Oklahoma? Who is their leader? Characterize the legal, social, and political relationship between the Oklahoma and the Florida Seminoles. What is the relationship today between the Black Seminoles and the Oklahoma and Florida Seminoles?

Frame of reference. People interpret the world around them through the rules of their own culture. In American culture, for example, dogs are pets and a means of security. In Native American cultures of the past, and Asian cultures today, dogs are also food.

6. Explore information about The Indian Wars found at this website: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0825127.html Explore these websites for information about the Battle of Lake Okeechobee. http://all-biographies.com/presidents/zachary_taylor.htm http://www.globalblacknews.com/KatzChristmas.html http://www.johnhorse.com/trail/02/d/16.htm If the Native Americans were to write an article on the wars with the Americans, would they call it “The Indian Wars”? What would the natives call the three centuries of warfare with the Americans? Write a paragraph describing the Indian Wars from the Indian perspective. Imagine you were a Seminole telling the history of the Second Seminole War. How would you describe the Battle of Lake Okeechobee? Imagine you were an American soldier at the battle. Write a paragraph describing the battle from the Seminole side, and another paragraph describing it from the American side.

7. General Jackson used Indian guides to help him in the First Seminole War. What divisions existed among the Native Americans regarding relations with the Americans? Which groups were considered friendly to the Americans? Why would some natives cooperate with the Americans while others preferred to fight? How were Native Americans portrayed in TV shows and movies fifty years ago, and today? Characterize the relationship between Native Americans and Americans today.

8. Create a timeline of the Seminole Wars. Include the dates when fighting started and stopped, and the significent events and battles in the wars. When did the Seminole Wars start and end? Regarding the First Seminole War, the U.S. Army Infantry history says 1814, and ended in 1819. The U.S. Navy Naval Historical Center says 1816-1818. The unit history of the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery it started and ended in 1818. What do the Seminoles say? How many Seminole Wars does the Seminole Tribe acknowledge? Go to this website to find out: http://www.seminoletribe.com/ Click on the “History” section and read the material there. In the History section, click on the timeline and look at the dates of the wars. What dates will you use? Why did you choose those dates?