SW040 Living in Fear and Anxiety on the Frontier of 1830s Territorial Florida

Painting: The Captive Osceola by Jackson Walker

The 1830 Indian Removal Act aimed to relocate Indian tribes in the southeastern United States to undetermined land across the Mississippi River in the Oklahoma Territory. The tribes affected were the Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek – the so-called “four C” tribes -- and the Seminole of Florida. The tragic tale of this unjust trail of tears rips at our collective hearts to this day. When removal efforts came to the Seminole of Florida, some departed voluntarily. But, the majority stood their ground and refused to be moved.  

Dr. Joe Knetsch. author of a number of books and journal articles on the Seminole Wars, joins us for the first of two episodes to discuss what life was like for Floridians in those days. We examine the Florida terrain, climate and on-the-ground atmosphere for Seminole and Soldiers and Settlers. His anthology Fear and Anxiety on the Florida Frontier: Articles on the Second Seminole War 1835-1842, informs our discussion today. Next week, we look at some of the underlying causes of the war, some the places and incidents where the Second Seminole War was waged, and also the strategic, operations and tactics used to wage the war. 

Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. He is a combat veteran and of the U.S. Army, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Kosovo, and at the Pentagon after 9/11. A military historian, he holds masters degrees in Public History, Communication, and Homeland Security, and is a graduate of the US Army War College with an advanced degree in strategic studies. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Florida. 

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