Oconee War
Encyclopedia
The Oconee War was a military conflict in the 1780s and 1790s between European Americans and the Creek Indians known as the Oconee, who lived in an area between the Apalachee
and North Oconee
rivers in the state of Georgia
.
The struggle arose from tensions between competing groups of people as increasing numbers of European Americans entered traditional Oconee territory. The conflict delayed the opening of the University of Georgia
, planned as part of the new state's institutions. The European Americans prevailed over the Creek, and a tradition of coexistence between the groups ended. The European Americans wanted to settle the land, and they demanded the government relocate the Creek, which contributed eventually to passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, setting policy and implementation of removal of all the Southeast
tribes to west of the Mississippi River
. The war catalyzed Georgia voters' ratifying the United States Constitution
, in order to gain federal help to fight the Creek.
As a result of the war, some Creek Oconee moved across the border into northern Florida, and then further south in the state, to escape European-American encroachment. They joined other majority-Creek peoples there, and developed a new Muskogean-related tribe, the Seminole
, by the late eighteenth century. Through the Seminole Wars of the nineteenth century, some of the Indians resisted all efforts by extensive United States forces to move them to reservations.
Apalachee River
The Apalachee River is a tributary of the Oconee River in the U.S. state of Georgia. It rises north of Lawrenceville in eastern Gwinnett County and flows southeast to join the Oconee River in Lake Oconee west of Greensboro.- References :...
and North Oconee
Oconee River
The Oconee River is a river which has its origin in Hall County, Georgia, and terminates where it joins the Ocmulgee River to form the Altamaha River near Lumber City at the borders of Montgomery County, Wheeler County, and Jeff Davis County. South of Athens, two forks, known as the North Oconee...
rivers in the state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
The struggle arose from tensions between competing groups of people as increasing numbers of European Americans entered traditional Oconee territory. The conflict delayed the opening of the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, planned as part of the new state's institutions. The European Americans prevailed over the Creek, and a tradition of coexistence between the groups ended. The European Americans wanted to settle the land, and they demanded the government relocate the Creek, which contributed eventually to passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, setting policy and implementation of removal of all the Southeast
Southeast
Southeast or south east is the ordinal direction halfway between east and south, the opposite of northwest.Southeast or south east may also refer to:- Places :* South-East District, Botswana* Southeast Region, Brazil...
tribes to west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The war catalyzed Georgia voters' ratifying the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
, in order to gain federal help to fight the Creek.
As a result of the war, some Creek Oconee moved across the border into northern Florida, and then further south in the state, to escape European-American encroachment. They joined other majority-Creek peoples there, and developed a new Muskogean-related tribe, the Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
, by the late eighteenth century. Through the Seminole Wars of the nineteenth century, some of the Indians resisted all efforts by extensive United States forces to move them to reservations.
See also
- Elijah ClarkeElijah ClarkeElijah Clarke , born in Anson County, North Carolina, was a soldier and officer with the Continentals and considered a hero of the American Revolutionary War. Afterward he was elected to the Georgia legislature. In 1794 he organized the Trans-Oconee Republic, several settlements in counties of...
- Alexander McGillivrayAlexander McGillivrayAlexander McGillivray, also known as Hoboi-Hili-Miko , was a principal chief of the Upper Creek towns from 1782. Before that he had created an alliance between the Creek and the British during the American Revolution...
- Trans-Oconee RepublicTrans-Oconee RepublicThe Trans-Oconee Republic was a short-lived, independent state west of the Oconee River . Established by General Elijah Clarke in May 1794, it was an attempt to head off the new Federal government's ceding of lands claimed by Georgia back to the Creek...