Treaty of Moultrie Creek

The Treaty of Moultrie Creek was an agreement, which was concluded in 1823 between the Government of the United States and some chiefs of the Seminoles in Florida today. The United States had acquired Florida in 1821 as part of the Adams - Onís Treaty of Spain. 1823 the government of the Florida Territory decided the Seminoles in a reserve in the center of the peninsula to resettle Florida.

A meeting to negotiate the contract, was scheduled for early September 1823 at Moultrie Creek, south of St. Augustine. About 425 Seminoles attended the meeting as chief negotiator for the Seminoles the Mikasuki chief Neamathla was chosen. Under the terms of the contract, the Seminoles were forced to place themselves under the protection of the United States. Another provision was that the Indians on all claims waived their countries and a reserve of 4 million acres (16,000 km ²) should go. The reserve was located in the central part of Florida. The northern boundary was north of present-day Ocala. South of the border ran on a line south of Tampa Bay. The western and eastern border of the reserve were cut off from the coast inland. A contact between the Seminoles and distributors of Cuba and the Bahamas should be avoided. Neamathla and five other chiefs were allowed to keep their villages along the Apalachicola River.

In the Treaty of Moultrie Creek, the U.S. government was obliged to protect the Seminoles, as long as they were peaceful and law-abiding. The government should provide agricultural implements, cattle and pigs at the Seminoles, compensate them for the relocation and the associated losses and put the Seminoles one years ration of provisions available to the Seminoles were able to get through their first harvest itself. The government should also the Seminoles for 20 years annually pay $ 5000 and also paid for 20 years for the maintenance of a translator, a school and a blacksmith. In return, the Seminoles had the construction of roads agree by their reserve and had every refugee or runaway slaves, which they took up, hand over the jurisdiction of the United States.