An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

maintain African enslavement. For nations who participated in the bondage
and exploitation of Africans, this made sense. They wanted to maintain
their way of life. They also believed they could keep their land. The Five
Tribes were in a hard spot, and chose the better of two evils. Of course, the
most vulnerable in this scenario, were the enslaved. 4
Below is a timeline that includes some key facts regarding treaties
signed by the Five Tribes. My aim is not to offer a comprehensive analysis
of these treaties for each individual tribe. The timeline’s dates contain
important decisions in history that differentiated between those who were of
African descent and those who weren’t, under the guise of notions of
“legitimate” citizenship.
1866: The US government signs treaties with the Five Tribes, impressing
upon them to end enslavement and that they have to adopt the formerly
enslaved Africans and people of African descent as citizens.
1896: The Dawes Commission creates land plots and determines who are
citizens based on how they look.
1906: The Dawes Commission designates members of the Five Tribes
under separate categories, thus creating separate rolls for Freedmen and
those considered members of the Five Tribes by blood.
1970: Congress passes the Principal Chiefs Act, requiring the Five
Tribes to secure approval for their voting laws for the selection of the
principal chief. They had to meet three conditions, one of which required
that voter qualifications be broad enough to include enrolled Cherokee
Freedmen.
1975: The Cherokee Nation Judicial Appeals Tribunal rules that the
Cherokee Freedmen are entitled to citizenship. The Creek Nation
submits a constitution that strips Creek Freedmen of their rights.
2003: The Cherokee Nation ratifies a new constitution that removes the
necessity for the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian