Source:McKee, Jesse O. Choctaw

Description

The Choctaw were living peacefully along the river floodplains in what is today Mississippi, western Alabama, and eastern Louisiana when the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his men invaded their lands in 1540 and massacred 1,500 tribespeople. After de Soto's departure, no European came to Choctaw lands until French colonists arrived int he early 1700s. Throughout the 18th century, the Choctaw were drawn by the French into their conflicts with the British. After the American Revolution, the Choctaw became the allies of the United States, with which they negotiated nine treaties. The last, signed in 1830, compelled the Choctaw to exchange their land in Mississippi fir a huge tract in the West. Most of the tribespeople left for their new land, many dying on the way. Within decades, the survivors built a prosperous society in what is now Oklahoma. Some Choctaw, however, steadfastly refused to leave Mississippi even through their land was gone. They suffered from poverty and neglect until the U.S. government provided a reservation for them in the 1920s. Today, the Choctaw come together twice a year for festivals held in Mississippi and Oklahoma.

Details

• Publisher: Chelsea House Publications (March 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555466990
• ISBN-13: 978-1555466992
• OCLC Number: 18560628
• Description: 103 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 25 cm.