The Seminole Wars were three periods of conflict that took place between the Seminole, various Native American groups in Florida, and early black settlers whom had escaped slavery, and the United States Army. The Native American tribes and previously escaped slaves who had assimilated into their cultures were the defending forces in near all battles. Previously a peaceful people, the origin of the Seminole conflicts can be traced back to the British invasion of Spanish Florida in Queen Anne’s war led by colonial Carolina’s governor, James Moore. This invasion included the Apalachee massacre where Moore’s troops were met with very little resistance and defeated the Spanish with very little trouble. The Indians, living under unfavorable conditions …show more content…
This war was the most expensive Indian war ever fought by the United States, and the economy suffered as a result of it. The debt caused by the war, along with the near 60 million dollars of debt the country was in when the term began, would be paid off by Andrew Jackson’s administration, which subsequently put great strain on the American people with enormous tariffs and an allegiance to very small, conservative government. In addition to economic woes, the United States sustained over 1,900 casualties. Whether the Seminole casualty count was equal to, less than, or even greater than, was unable to be determined. However small in comparison to other wars, these casualties were very heavy in the scope of a localized war fought in a low-density population area. This loss of lives was taken into account in Billy Bowlegs war, where very few non-volunteer units were used. Not surprisingly, the Third Seminole War was not the only case that examined the outcome of the Second Seminole War. Every future Indian conflict has been designed to avoid any military intervention. This aversion to military conflict was also due in part to the numerous massacres that occurred throughout the course of the war. Whenever unwanted Native American settlements were visited by American troops, the end result was quite often widespread killing and destruction of the village. The treatment of Native Americans throughout the war left the impression that the United States could over power them in all scenarios, which would lead to the eventual relocation of all unassimilated Indians to reservations. The survival of the fittest mentality has continually been noted throughout American history and recently been seen in the United States’ involvement in the Middle East, driven by economic and political factors. The outcomes of the Second