Micanopy (chief)
Micanopy was a prominent chief of the Seminole tribe, recognized for his lineage and significant wealth during his lifetime. He played a crucial role in the tribe's resistance against U.S. influence following Florida's transition to American control in 1819. As tensions escalated, Micanopy opposed the Treaty of Paynes's Landing in 1832, which aimed to remove the Seminoles to Indian Territory. This refusal to sign the treaty set the stage for the Second Seminole War, during which Micanopy led attacks against U.S. forces, including a notable ambush on Major Dade's command.
Despite initial successes, Micanopy's confidence in the tribe's ability to resist U.S. forces waned, leading to his surrender in 1837. He was later captured while under a flag of truce and ultimately agreed to relocate to Indian Territory. There, he navigated complex relations with the Creek Nation, which resulted in friction among the tribes. In 1845, Micanopy successfully negotiated a settlement for the Seminoles within Creek lands, although he passed away before the Seminoles formally separated from the Creeks in 1848 and received their designated territory. Micanopy's legacy is marked by his leadership and the significant challenges faced by the Seminole people during a turbulent period in their history.
Micanopy (chief)
Category: Tribal chief
Tribal affiliation: Seminole
Significance: As principal chief of the Seminoles, Micanopy resisted removal during the second of the Seminole Wars
Though the Seminoles had no central government, Micanopy was regarded as the tribe’s principal chief by virtue of his descent from a line of past chiefs. Micanopy was also one of the wealthiest Seminoles of his day, with considerable holdings of land and slaves. He was a strong opponent of U.S. influence in Florida, and he sought to protect Seminole ways after Florida passed to American control in 1819.
When federal representatives arranged the Treaty of Paynes’s Landing in 1832 as a prelude to removing the Seminoles from Florida to Indian Territory (modern Oklahoma), Micanopy refused to sign. The government accepted the treaty even though tribal leaders regarded it as fraudulent, and in 1835 began to prepare to move the Seminoles out of Florida. Micanopy supported the efforts of younger tribal leaders such as Osceola and Wildcat (Micanopy’s nephew) to rally resistance. In December of 1835, Seminoles under his and Osceola’s leadership attacked Major Francis Dade’s column as it moved from Tampa Bay into the interior. Dade was killed—by Micanopy, it was said—and only three of his men survived. The Second Seminole War was under way; it would last until 1842.
The Seminoles proved able warriors, but Micanopy came to doubt their ability to hold off the United States indefinitely. He surrendered to U.S. forces in June, 1837. He was subsequently kidnapped by Osceola, who was intent on continuing the struggle and aware of the chief’s symbolic value. Micanopy was recaptured by American forces while under a flag of truce in December of 1837. He agreed to accept removal to the West. After a brief period of imprisonment, he was transported to Indian Territory in 1838. There he found the Seminoles assigned to the Creek Nation, an arrangement that created friction between the two tribes. In 1845, Micanopy negotiated an agreement that allowed the Seminoles to settle as a group within the Creek lands. Ten years later, after his death, the Seminoles formally separated from the Creeks and received their own land.