Before the Founding of Lawton
Land Lottery and Auction
Game
Teaching Materials
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Many white people wanted the lands that belonged to the native peoples. The pressure to give the lands to whites grew and grew. President Benjamin Harrison had been in office for three weeks. Then he issued a decree. He made new rules about settling the Unassigned Lands. Each of the Five Civilized Tribes had to up some land. The land was in the western part of their nations. Other tribes came to live on their land. So the Five Civilized Tribes had to make room for the newcomers. The Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes lost some land. They had to give up their “Leased District.” They gave it to the United States for the sum of $300,000. The U.S. also got title to half of the Creek lands. The Seminole Nation agreed to give up all of their land. The U.S. got their land for 15¢ per acre. This land was supposed to be only for native people and freedmen. The truth was that the U.S. planned to use it as a permanent reservation for the Plains Indians. How would you have felt if this had been your land? |
President Benjamin Harrison |
View the time line of events in the West from 1860-1870.
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