A Tale of Two Tribes: A Comparitive Analysis of the Removal of the Choctaw and Seminole Indians by the U.S. Government

Abstract

She had written to Dr. Smith, Dr. Gwynn, clinics in Baltimore, and the federal government, but no one came to the aid of Amanda Blackwell. She was fighting an infectious battle for months that was impossible to win on her own. Her adversary was smallpox and her allies were sitting in the luxurious chairs during congressional sessions, indifferent to the face of death she saw everyday. As for Congress, its interest with those in Mississippi was of a separate concern. The process of removing the Indians, and their bodies, took longer than expected. Thus, legislatures knew the emigration deadline they debated previously would not be achieved. What was left of the Mississippi tribe that summer in 1832 still held the name "Choctaw" with pride,despite their massive loss of land and life.¹