SW016 Educator Extols Black Seminole Leader John Horse as Florida’s First Freedom Fighter

 

Last week we listened to a fictionalized story about the life of one of the dogs left behind when the Army removed Seminoles to the Oklahoma Territory. Efa, in that tale, belonged to Black Seminole John Horse. This week, we hear of John Horse himself.

The name John Horse should be familiar to listeners. Guests have mentioned him in passing when relating key events of the Second Seminole War. John Horse was one of several prominent Black Seminoles, along with Abraham and John Ceasar, who organized Black Seminoles to fight along with Seminole Indians, against the U.S. Army's removal efforts. 

A Florida educator penned a historical novel about him, entitled John Horse: Florida’s First Freedom Fighter. (Alas, Efa is not part of her account). Betty Turso joins us to discuss how she wove the amiable John Horse's inspiring Florida life story around actual events of the Second Seminole War, and why she wanted her students to see him as a heroic role model. 

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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