The Seminole Freedmen: A History

Popularly known as "Black Seminoles," descendants of the Seminole freedmen of Indian Territory are a unique American cultural group. Now Kevin Mulroy examines the long history of these people to show that this label denies them their rightful identity. To correct misconceptions of the historical relationship between Africans and Seminole Indians, he traces the emergence of the group's society from its eighteenth-century Florida origins to the present day. Freedmen and Seminoles enjoy a partially shared past. This book shows that the freedmen's history and culture are unique and entirely their own. As the first full-length examination of the maroon community in Indian Territory and Oklahoma, this book makes a vital contribution to studies of racial identity, mixed-race societies, and African Americans in the West.