The Indian Removal Act basically ruined Indian lives as we know it, right? Well yes, but then got better! Just in time for us to ruin it again too! So without further ado, here is

Was 1840 to 1860 really the "Golden Years" for Indians?

First up is the Seminoles, which actually had a horribly hard time setting up shop because the white people wanted them to join the Creeks, but they didn't want to so they had to go and figure things out by themselves.

Their government was the town, each with one chief. An annual meeting with the chiefs decided on matters relating to the entirety of the Seminole nation.

The economy was reliant on the Creeks, due to the forced merge. Their education system was the same boarding school system as almost all the rest of the 5 tribes.

I don't believe these were truly the greatest years for the Seminoles, due to the white men forcing them to merge with the Creeks.

Speaking of the Creeks, they didn't have a lot of fun either (I mean, relatively speaking. Getting kicked off your land is no fun) They had absolutely no experience making a government and to make things worse they were split into two groups getting there! luckily, once they were all there they accepted the leadership of the Creeks that got there first and had to live on the more remote parts to their territory. Their government was similar to the Seminoles, with each town having a leader but it did change later to become an elected position. Their economy was farming, like most of them, and they had slaves. They had the regular boarding school education system.

I think this may have been the the Golden Years for them since they owned a lot of stuff, and were able to sell their hogs and cattle.

Next up, the Chickasaws!!! They were treated similarly to the Seminoles in that they were expected to become citizens of the Choctaw nation, but they did better because of that. They were treated slightly lesser, but eventually created their own nation with a constitution almost identical to the Choctaw's. Their economy was great due to their great sheep and goats and their education system was the cookie cutter boarding school system.

I believe this was the Golden Years for them, because they strived under the pressure of forced merging with the Choctaws

The Choctaws! They did great! They created a 3 branch government and a Bill of Rights. They farmed cotton, which made them very successful financially. Their school system was, once again, boarding schools.

I believe this was definitely a good time to be a Choctaw. Possibly the best. No doubt about it these were the Choctaw's Golden Years

Finally the Cherokees. They did considering how all started, when they couldn't decide which constitution to use. The one that the ones that got there first used or a new one made by both. Then John Ross' supporters murdered 3 of the signers of the Treaty of New Echota. Then a 7 year civil war between the two groups started. Eventually they stopped and made a new constitution. It made a "one body politic" Their economy was fueled by slaves, which they had the most of, and they made a lot of money from all the cattle they had. Their schooling system was different, in that they weren't run by missionaries but by tribal government hired people.

I believe that these were the Golden Years for the Cherokees, because even though they started out pretty bad they did end up succeeding.

In conclusion, these were the most successful years for the Indians, and because of that reason I believe firmly that these were indeed the Golden Years for the 5 Tribes.

It's a shame white people had to come and kick them off their land again...

Oh well!