The Defenders

The Defenders by Ann McGovern

This book tells about the Seminoles struggle against Andrew Jackson and the many generals that he sent to fight eliminate them. It discusses the various battles and skirmishes that the Seminoles had to fight through to be free. Osceola is the main character, the chief of the Seminole tribe. It tells about how he was the "Spirit of War" and spurred the Seminoles on to fight against the American government during the 7 years war. There are still some Seminoles that remain in Florida today on the same land that their ancestors did.

One main reason that I don't like this book is because it talks about two other Native American struggles. I want a book about only the Seminoles not the various other struggles that went on during the late 1800's. It not only talks about Osceola but also Tecumseh and Cochise. All of these leaders fought for freedom but Ive got Seminole blood in me and I prefer to learn about them more.

It was very short. I was want to learn more about the Seminole nation as a people, and this novel was too short to achieve that in my opinion. The pictures in the chapters helped me understand what some of the actual battles where like. They were green though so it sorta killed it.

McGovern, Ann. The Defenders. New York: Scholastic Books, 1970.

Survival In The Swamp

This web page is from the official Seminole Tribe of Florida. They have this website so that average people can learn about how they stood up and fought and also changed their ways so that they wouldn't have to be destroyed. Although most did move out to the western reserves, the few that remained are the true survivors of the Seminole Wars.

This page shows us how the remaining Seminole Indians survived in the swamps of southern Florida for decades until the government that had tried to exterminate them was now assisting them. Many were not trusting at first because the Seminoles had seen their fare share of trickery during their war with the US, but as time went on they slowly moved onto the 80,000 acre plot set aside for them. Although they no longer have to subsistence farm to survive, had it had not have been for that they wouldn't still be walking in our midst.

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"Survival In the Swamp". Seminole Tribe of Florida. 4/8/10 .

Big Cypress Shootout Reenactment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYnh48S644
I got this video from YouTube after extensive research to find the most epic video on the Seminole Indians that I possibly could. It not only shows battle footage but also everyday life during that time period, along with common dress for that time period. I enjoyed watching this video for it helped me to get a mental picture of what the battles were really like back then.
This video shows how the warfare was for the Seminole compared to the US army at the time. They weren't used to hiding and shooting, they were trained to fight out in the open in ranks so that they could shoot volleys. This guerrilla style warfare helped the Seminole withstand the US armies massive numbers compared to their few thousand.

"www.YouTube.com". Big Cypress Reenactments. 4/8/10 .

The Spirit Of The War

The place that I've chosen to pull my information is from chapter 4 of " The Defenders" by Ann McGovern. The book covers the struggle of two different tribes that both fought for their resources against the U.S. government. I am of course using the Seminole section of the book, for that is the issue that I am discussing.
"The Spirit Of The War" is not only the name of my chapter but also the nickname given to chief Osceola during the war. When the fighting first erupted he wasn't an actual chief, but all of the other chiefs still looked up to him due to his wisdom beyond his years. " We must use the cunning of the fox, the swiftness of the snake, to fight the wolves!" ( McGovern 19), is one of the many things Osceola said to the other members of the Seminole tribe to convince them to stay and fight, rather than give in and move to Oklahoma.

McGovern, Ann. The Defenders. New York: Scholastic, 1970. 19. Print.