Ryan Spring

You know, the relationship with the United States, you know, at this time, as we talked about, is about a military alliance.

So Choctaws fought with the United States during the War of 1812, during the Pensacola Campaign.

During the Red Stick War, we helped Andrew Jackson defend the Battle of New Orleans, which is what pushed his political career into becoming president later on.

But the concept of assimilation of Native peoples started to change.

And Choctaw people realized this immediately because our thanks for helping in these conflicts was another session of land.

And it was the Treaty of Choctaw Trading House in 1816.

And this left a very sour taste in our leaders' mouths.

I see.

So our leaders came up with a new plan.

They said, we can't become military allies.

You know, the United States has become more powerful at this point.

Now that they're not worried about threats from the east, they're now looking westward.

And you start to see the beginnings of Manifest Destiny take root.

Sure.

And the first people in the way of that destiny are the Choctaw.

So the Creek Nation had been subdued during the War of 1812.

And Choctaws were the largest tribe in the southeast.

But we also had a relationship.

Andrew Jackson himself knew these Choctaw leaders.

The U.S.