The Treaty of Tuscaloosa was signed in October 1818, and
ratified
Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent that lacked the authority to bind the principal legally. Ratification defines the international act in which a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty if the parties inte ...
by congress in January 1819. endorsed by President
James Monroe
James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...
. It was one of a series of treaties made between the
Chickasaw Indians and the United States that year. The Treaty of Tuscaloosa was represented by Senator
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
and ex-governor
Isaac Shelby
Isaac Shelby (December 11, 1750 – July 18, 1826) was the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic an ...
to the Chickasaw. It resulted in the acquisition of the
Jackson Purchase
The Jackson Purchase, also known as the Purchase Region or simply the Purchase, is a region in the U.S. state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and the Tennessee River to the east.
Jackson's ...
(which included extreme western
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
and most of the
West Tennessee division).
Treaty
On October 19, 1818, state senator Jackson and former Kentucky governor Shelby, as
plenipotentiaries
A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of his or her sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word ' ...
for the state of Kentucky, completed negotiations with the Chickasaw on what was to become known as the ''Treaty of Tuscaloosa'', one of several treaties consummated in 1818 which resulted in the Jackson Purchase.
The treaty targeted land that had been recognized as Chickasaw territory by the 1786
Treaty of Hopewell
Three agreements, each known as the Treaty of Hopewell, were signed between representatives of the Congress of the United States and the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw peoples, were negotiated and signed at the Hopewell plantation in South Caro ...
; that is, the lands in Tennessee and Kentucky that were west of the
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...
, an uninhabited woodland area of about 10,700 square miles of territory that the tribe controlled.
![TENNESSEE map - Indian land cessions in the United States](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/TENNESSEE_map_-_Indian_land_cessions_in_the_United_States.jpg)
Prior to the signing of the treaty,
Levi Colbert
Levi Colbert (1759–1834), also known as ''Itawamba'' in Chickasaw, was a leader and chief of the Chickasaw nation. Colbert was called ''Itte-wamba Mingo'', meaning ''bench chief''. He and his brother George Colbert were prominent interpreter ...
(''Itawamba Mingo''), who along with his brother
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
(''Tootesmastube''), had inherited the leadership of the Chickasaw tribe, had agreed to this transfer of the tribe's hunting grounds.
This was purportedly due to the acceptance of a bribe by the Colberts.
The expanse of land between the Mississippi River and the western valley of the Tennessee River was traded for $300,000, to be paid in twenty annual installments.
Other Chickasaw leaders party to the treaties were Chinubby and
Tishomingo.
Results
The Treaty of Tuscaloosa was ratified by the Congress and Senate of the United States, and confirmed by President
James Monroe
James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...
on January 7, 1819.
With the acquisition, the state of Kentucky gained about 2,000 square miles, and Tennessee was enlarged by about 6,000 square miles.
Aftermath
There was an immediate rush of settlement to the area. Jackson, along with
John Overton John Overton may refer to:
People
*John Overton (printseller) (1640–1713), seller of prints and maps who succeeded Peter Stent
*John Overton (priest) (1763–1838), English clergyman
*John Overton (judge) (1766–1833), judge at the Superior Cour ...
and
James Winchester James Winchester may refer to:
* James Winchester (general) (1752–1826), an American Revolutionary War officer and brigadier general during the War of 1812
* James Winchester (Maryland judge) (1772–1806), Maryland politician and judge
* James ...
, founded
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
soon after. By 1824, there were sixteen counties established in the acquired region.
References
Further reading
''Treaty with the Chickasaw: 1818'' "The Avalon Project – Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy"; Lillian Goldman Law Library project; Yale Law School; accessed November 2020.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Treaty of Tuscaloosa
Treaties of indigenous peoples of North America
1818 treaties
United States and Native American treaties
Native American history of Kentucky
Native American history of Tennessee