Black Seminole were enslaved Black Africans who escaped plantations in the United States to live among the Indigenous (native) American Seminole people in Florida in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. They adopted some Seminole ways of life, including language and dress, but they also preserved elements of their own culture. The Black Seminole built their own villages, farmed their own land, and intermarried with the Seminole. Some went on to become notable leaders.
The United States sought to remove all the Seminole from Florida to the Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. After conflicts with the U.S. Army, most had moved west by 1842. But there, they were forced to share their land with their rivals, the Muscogee, or Creek, people.
In the Indian Territory, the Black Seminole suffered years of hardship and harassment from other Indigenous groups and slave-hunters, who often kidnapped them and returned them to slavery. In 1850, many Black Seminole escaped across the Rio Grande to Mexico. In Mexico, they prevented Indigenous raiding parties and slave-hunters from entering the territory. They became well-known for their courage, superb marksmanship, and tracking skills.
In 1870, the U.S. Army recruited Black Seminole to be scouts in special cavalry units to fight Indigenous raiders from the Southwestern United States and Mexico. They were extremely effective, engaging in a dozen battles without losing a single scout. Four Black Seminole scouts received Medals of Honor for bravery. The scouts were disbanded in 1914. Despite their service, the U.S. government evicted the Black Seminole who had made their homes on government land in Texas.
