Osceola's LegacyA bestselling, re-evaluation of a major Native American resistance leader. Named an Outstanding Book by the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights. Born in Alabama to a Muscogee/Creek Indian mother and an English father, Osceola, born Billy Powell, came to prominence in the 1830s for resisting the U. S. government's sweep into Florida. He protested the government's Florida Indian removal, killed a pro-emigration Indian leader and then made war on the US government. Osceola's Legacy draws on a wealth of sources, including letters, diaries, and artifacts to bring this fascinating figure and the central role he played in the Second Seminole War into vivid focus. Of particular interest is a chapter on the forensic report on Osceola's grave as well as descriptions and the illustrations of his personal property at the time of his death. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
1 A Short Life | 5 |
2 Family Matters | 30 |
Setting the Record Straight | 67 |
4 Through the Eyes of Those Who Saw Him | 107 |
5 A Lonely Grave | 134 |
6 The Forensic Report | 153 |
7 The Search for Osceolas Head | 163 |
11 Descendents East and West | 229 |
12 Pitcairn Morrisons Mementos | 257 |
13 A FarFlung Legacy | 265 |
Two Very Expensive Alleged Osceola Artifacts | 282 |
Summary of Osceola Artifacts | 291 |
Graphic Representations of Osceola | 297 |
Notes | 305 |
Bibliography | 343 |