SW002 Removal spawns resistance

In the 1800s, there were three Seminole Wars as defined by the US Government. Each differed in scope, strategy, and tactics but shared the goal of containment and removal of the Seminoles from Florida. The US government’s premise was that native peoples could not coexist with American settlers
seeking new land opportunities in Florida. In fact, it was the reverse: American settlers could not – or would not -- coexist with native peoples, such as the Seminole. The US government instituted policies and then military actions to separate the land settlers desired from the Seminole Indians who occupied it. The Seminole resisted vigorously this attempted removal.

Joining us to make sense of this removal and resistance is Brent Weisman. Dr. Weisman is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of South Florida. He has served as the editor of The Florida Anthropologist, president of the Seminole Wars Historic Foundation and the Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education, and was a founding director of the Florida Public Archaeology Network. His research interests continue to be Seminole Indian culture and history, Florida archaeology, and North American Indians. He is the author of numerous journal articles and books on both the Seminole Wars and the Seminole themselves. 

Host Patrick Swan is board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. He is a combat veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Kosovo, and at the Pentagon after 9/11. He holds masters degrees in Public History, Communication, and Homeland Security and is a graduate of the US Army War College with an advanced degree in Strategic Studies. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Florida.