Opothleyohola’s Exodus to Kansas (Nov. 1861-Jan. 1862)

After a faction of the Creek tribe had negotiated and signed a treaty with the Confederacy in July 1861, a group of Upper Creek chiefs led by Opothleyohola repudiated the treaty and declared their neutrality.  Opothleyohola’s followers and their families gathered together on Opothleyohola’s plantation/ranch … Read MoreOpothleyohola’s Exodus to Kansas (Nov. 1861-Jan. 1862)

First Indian Home Guard Regiment (1862-1865)

The First Indian Home Guard Regiment was a tri-racial Union regiment first organized in Kansas in May 1862. The regiment was made up of Creek and Seminole Indians, African Creeks and African Seminoles with white officers commanding the unit.  Though their numbers were few, the … Read MoreFirst Indian Home Guard Regiment (1862-1865)

Louisiana Purchase and African Americans (1803)

It is ironic that the 1803 Louisiana Purchase from France was instigated by one of the few successful slave rebellions. Toussaint L’Overture on St. Dominique (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) so bedeviled the French that Napoleon decided to sell the Louisiana Territory to the … Read MoreLouisiana Purchase and African Americans (1803)