Osceola

Osceola was an influential leader of the Seminole in Florida. He led a small group of warriors in resistance during the Second Seminole War. During that war, the United States attempted to remove Osceola and his people from their land. Osceola had a significant influence on Micanopy, the highest ranked chief of his people. In 1832, several Seminole chiefs agreed to and signed the Treaty of Payne’s Landing, which stated that the Seminole were to give up their land in Florida in trade for land west of the Mississippi. Five of the most important chiefs disagreed with the treaty, and a Native American called Wiley Thompson decided that the rebellious chiefs were to be eradicated from the land. Soon after, Thompson declared that he forbid the sale of guns and ammunition to the Seminole people. Osceola was a young warrior at the time, and he was enraged by this, comparing their treatment to that of the enslaved. Osceola was captured by deceitful means. On October 21, 1837, General Thomas Jesup ordered that Osceola was to be captured. The young warrior was captured when he arrived to make a truce at Fort Payton. The nation was in an uproar pertaining to this dishonesty. Osceola died approximately three months after his capture, succumbing to malaria. The men who had captured Osceola through this treacherous plan were punished and denounced by higher officials, along with the entire nation. While Osceola was held captive, many oil painters came to paint a portrait of him.