Hey cousins! This week, Tiff tackles a topic that was “news” to her; Native Freedmen. A freedman is a term used to refer to African-American men and women who were former slaves. This included enslaved people of the Native American tribes, in Oklahoma, before and after the American Civil War. The Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole nations all held enslaved Africans and were required to emancipate their slaves and offer them citizenship in their tribes after the Civil War. These Native Freedmen were to be given full rights as Native citizens. However, many freedmen faced discrimination and challenges in obtaining full citizenship and rights within their respective tribes. The Dawes Rolls, which were used to assign allotments to tribal members, also played a role in determining the citizenship of freedmen. Despite ongoing struggles, many freedmen have continued to fight for equal legal status and recognition within their tribes. Join us as Tiff discusses the plight of these people, while looking at both sides of the coin.
Sources:
Wikipedia Freedmen; Cherokee Freedmen Controversy; Choctaw Freedmen; Creek Freedmen; Dawes Rolls; Seminole Nation; Chickasaw Nation; Black Seminoles
Oklahoma Freedman of the Five Tribes by Angela Y Walton-Raji
Freedmen by the OK Historical Society
Muscogee Nation Judge…by NPR
