Enslaved on the Trail of Tears

Race, Removal, and the Transformation of Indian Territory

Terry J. Ligon

• Publisher: The History Press
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Social Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9781467173131
• Subtopic: African American History
• Index: Social Sciences

A Harrowing Heritage of Resilience Beginning in the 1820s, Indian removal saw scores of families of African descent forced west alongside the so-called Five Civilized Tribes. The Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole Nations all brought their own slaves on the arduous, obligatory journey. These tribes demonstrated shared patterns—including Native women enslavers—as well as important distinctions. Seminole records more frequently preserved the names of their enslaved, reflecting resistance to removal and the central role of Black Seminoles. But enslaved people were present at every stage of removal, even when misclassified or omitted entirely from official records. Power operated differently within each tribe. Gender shaped vulnerability and authority. Enslavement and forced migration reconfigured tribal societies during one of the most traumatic periods in their histories. Drawing on oral accounts and extensive documentation, Terry J. Ligon's unique scholarship restores voice and lineage to the remarkable survival of those carried west in bondage on the Trail of Tears. 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1. The Choctaw 1830 Census: A Counting of Human Bondage
• 2. Choctaw Removal
• 3. The Cherokee Nation
• 4. The Chickasaw Removal
• 5. Women, Power, and the Human Cost of Removal
• 6. Cherokee Women: Survivors and Enslavers on the Trail
• 7. Creek (Muscogee) Women and the Legacy of Slavery
• 8. Muscogee/Creek Removal
• 9. Seminole Removal
• 10. Those Who Served, So All Could Be Free
• Appendix A. Enslaved People Brought West During the Choctaw Removal
• Appendix B. Enslaved People Brought West During the Cherokee Removal
• Appendix C. Enslaved People Brought West During the Chickasaw Removal
• Appendix D. Enslaved People Brought West During the Muscogee/Creek Removal
• Appendix E. Enslaved People Brought West During the Seminole Removal
• Appendix F. People Identified as Being Enslaved by Susan Colbert, née James (1898–99)
• Appendix G. People Identified as Being Enslaved by Susan Jones, née Colbert (1898–99)
• Appendix H. People Identified as Being Enslaved by Cherokee Elizabeth (Betsy) Pack
• Appendix I. People Identified as Being Enslaved by Cherokee Lucy Martin
• Appendix J. People Identified as Being Enslaved by Creek Sukey Kernal/Cornell
• Notes
• Sources
• Index
• About the Author