Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, signed in September 1830, marked a significant moment in the history of the Choctaw Nation and American expansion. Originating from present-day Mississippi, the Choctaws had maintained amicable relations with the United States and supported American military efforts during earlier conflicts. However, as American settlers increasingly encroached upon their lands, the Choctaws faced mounting pressure to cede territory. The treaty resulted in the relinquishment of approximately ten million acres of Choctaw land in exchange for financial compensation and provisions for resettlement in southeastern Oklahoma.
Negotiated under duress, the treaty's terms were agreed upon by prominent Choctaw leaders, who faced resistance from their community regarding the loss of ancestral lands. The agreement allowed for some Choctaws to remain in Mississippi with U.S. citizenship, though few ultimately took advantage of this option. The subsequent removal process, which began in 1831, was fraught with hardship and significant loss of life, leading to the tragic events known as the "Trail of Tears." The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was not only the first major treaty executed under the Indian Removal Act but also set a precedent for the forced relocation of other Native American tribes in the following years.
Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
Date: September 27, 1830
Place: Mississippi
Tribe affected: Choctaw
Significance: In the first treaty signed after passage of the Indian Removal Act, the experience of the Choctaws foreshadowed that of many tribes as they sold their lands in Mississippi and agreed to move west
The Choctaws originally occupied much of present-day Mississippi. The tribe prided itself on good relations with the United States and the fact that it had never fought against the United States. Instead Choctaws had fought as American allies in the Creek War (1813-1814) and War of 1812.
Nevertheless the Choctaws came under increasing pressure from American settlers as the area filled rapidly after the War of 1812. In treaties going back to 1801, the Choctaws had ceded land to facilitate settlement. Pressed by General Andrew Jackson, in 1820 the tribe agreed to the Treaty of Doak’s Stand. Five million acres of land in western and west-central Mississippi were sold to the United States; in return, the Choctaws acquired thirteen million acres west of the Mississippi. The acquisition of western land clearly raised the prospect of removal, though few Choctaws chose to emigrate.
American pressure mounted, however, especially after Jackson’s election to the presidency in 1828. Encouraged by his administration’s stated goal of removing the tribes east of the Mississippi, in January, 1830, the Mississippi legislature voted to extend state jurisdiction over Choctaw lands, effectively ignoring tribal claims to the land. Feeling pressured and believing that American power was irresistible, Choctaw leaders agreed to negotiate. Terms proposed by Greenwood LeFlore, recently elected principal chief of the tribe, were rejected as too expensive. The Choctaws then agreed to a new round of negotiations at Dancing Rabbit Creek.
There in September, 1813, chiefs LeFlore, Mushulatubbee, and Nitekechi and six thousand Choctaws met American commissioners John Eaton and John Coffee. The Americans had made elaborate preparations to feed and entertain the Choctaws and to create a festive air for the negotiations. Reluctantly, the chiefs agreed to the terms requested: In return for a $20,000, twenty-year annuity and other financial considerations, the Choctaws would give up the remaining ten million acres of their land in Mississippi and move to their lands in present-day southeastern Oklahoma. Choctaws who wished to stay in Mississippi would receive one-square-mile allotments and U.S. citizenship, provided they registered within six months of the treaty’s ratification and lived on their lands for five years. (Federal officials saw to it that relatively few Choctaws remained under this provision.)
Though a few hundred Choctaws had departed for Indian Territory in 1830 in hopes of locating the best land, removal of the bulk of the tribe began in 1831 and extended over a three-year period. Much hardship accompanied the Choctaws on their “Trail of Tears,” especially in 1831, and about 15 percent of the tribe died during removal. The Choctaws were the first major tribe to be moved under the Indian Removal Act, and their experience established an important precedent that would be followed with other eastern tribes.