Indian Territory

{{noreferences|date=July 2011}} {{Distinguish|Indiana Territory}} {{About|the historical territory in the United States of America||Indian Country (disambiguation)}} {{dablink|The term Indian in this article refers to [[American Indians in the United States|American Indians]]; not to be confused with ethnic Indians or [[South Asians]] from the [[Indian subcontinent]]}} The '''Indian Territory''', also known as the '''Indian Territories''' and the '''Indian Country''', was land set aside within the [[United States]] for the settlement of [[American Indians in the United States|American Indians]]. The general borders were set by the [[Indian Intercourse Act]] of 1834. The Indian Territory had its roots in the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] [[Royal Proclamation of 1763]], which limited white settlement to Crown lands west of the [[Appalachian Mountains]]. The [[Indian Reserve (1763)|Indian Reserve]] was reduced under [[British colonization of the Americas|British administration]] and again after the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]], until it included only lands west of the [[Mississippi River]]. At the time of the American Revolution, many [[Indian tribe]]s had long-standing relationships with the British, but a less developed relationship with the American rebels. After the defeat of the British, the Americans twice invaded the [[Ohio Country]] and were twice defeated. They finally defeated an Indian [[Western Confederacy|confederacy]] at the [[Battle of Fallen Timbers]] in 1794, imposing the [[Treaty of Greenville]], which ceded most of what is now Ohio, part of what is now [[Indiana]], and the present day sites of [[Chicago]] and [[Detroit]] to the United States. {{multiple image | align = left | direction = vertical | width = 200 | image1 = IndianTerritory1885.jpg | alt1 = 1885 government map of Indian Territory | image2 = IndianTerritory.jpg | alt2 = 1891 government map of Indian Territory | caption2 = Indian Territory in 1885 (top) and 1891 (bottom) }} The Indian Territory served as the destination for the policy of [[Indian Removal]], a policy pursued intermittently by [[President of the United States|American presidents]] early in the nineteenth century, but aggressively pursued by President [[Andrew Jackson]] after the passage of the [[Indian Removal Act]] of 1830. The [[Five Civilized Tribes]] in the [[Southern United States|South]] were the most prominent tribes displaced by the policy, a relocation that came to be known as the [[Trail of Tears]] during the [[Choctaw]] removals starting in 1831. The trail ended in what is now [[Arkansas]] and Oklahoma, where there were already many Indians living in the territory, as well as whites and escaped slaves. Other tribes, such as the [[Lenape|Delaware]], [[Cheyenne]], and [[Apache]] were also forced to relocate to the Indian territory. The Five Civilized Tribes set up towns such as [[Tulsa]], [[Ardmore, Oklahoma|Ardmore]], [[Tahlequah, Oklahoma|Tahlequah]], [[Tishomingo, Oklahoma|Tishomingo]], [[Muskogee, Oklahoma|Muskogee]], and others, which became some of the larger towns in the state. They also brought their African [[Slavery in the United States|slaves]] to Oklahoma, which added to the [[black American]] population in the state. Members of these tribes fought primarily on the side of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] during the [[Indian Territory in the American Civil War|American Civil War in Indian territory]]. Following the [[Battle of Doaksville]], Brigadier General [[Stand Watie]], a Confederate commander of the [[Cherokee Nation (19th century)|Cherokee Nation]], became the last Confederate general to surrender in the American Civil War, on 23 June 1865. In time, the Indian Territory was reduced to what is now [[Oklahoma]]; and then, with the organization of [[Oklahoma Territory]] in 1890, to just the eastern half of the area. The citizens of Indian Territory tried, in 1905, to gain admission to the union as the [[State of Sequoyah]], but were rebuffed by [[United States Congress|Congress]] and an Administration which did not want two new Western states, Sequoyah and Oklahoma. Citizens then joined to seek admission of a single state to the Union. With Oklahoma statehood in November 1907, Indian Territory was extinguished. Many Indians continue to live in Oklahoma, especially in the eastern part. ==See also== *[[American Civil War]], 1861–1865 **[[Native Americans in the American Civil War]] ***[[Cherokee in the American Civil War]] *[[Historic regions of the United States]] *[[History of Oklahoma]] *[[Missouri Compromise]] **[[Parallel 36°30' north]] *[[Territorial evolution of the United States]] **Territories of [[Spain]] that encompassed land that would later become part of Indian territory: ***[[Nueva Vizcaya, New Spain|Nueva Vizcaya]], 1562–1821 ***[[Spanish Texas|Tejas]], 1690–1821 ***[[Louisiana (New Spain)|Luisiana]], 1764–1803 **Territory of [[France]] that encompassed land that would later become part of Indian territory: ***[[Louisiana (New France)|Louisiane]], 1682–1764 and 1803 **[[U.S. territories]] that encompassed land that would later become part of Indian territory: ***[[Louisiana Purchase]], 1803–1804 ***[[District of Louisiana]], 1804–1805 ***[[Territory of Louisiana]], 1805–1812 ***[[Territory of Missouri]], 1812–1821 ***[[Territory of Arkansaw]], 1819–1836 **[[U.S. territories]] that encompassed land that was previously part of Indian territory: ***[[Territory of Kansas]], 1854–1861 ***[[Territory of Nebraska]], 1854–1867 ***[[Territory of Oklahoma]], 1890–1907 **[[U.S. states]] that encompass land that was previously part of Indian territory: ***[[State of Missouri]], 1821 ****[[Platte Purchase]], 1836 ***[[State of Kansas]], 1861 ***[[State of Nebraska]], 1867 ***[[State of Oklahoma]], 1907 *[[Trail of Tears]] ==External links== * [http://www.okgenweb.org/~itgenweb/ Twin Territories: Oklahoma Territory – Indian Territory] * [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/I/IN018.html Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Indian Territory] * [http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/fed-indian-policy/ High resolution maps and other items at the [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]]] * [http://texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q=indian+territory&t=text&q2=%22CCHS%22&t2=institution See 1890s photographs of Native Americans in Oklahoma Indian Territory] hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History] {{Oklahoma history}} {{coord missing|United States}}