Creek Tensions

Out west, Creek leaders were anxious to bring the blacks under their tribal laws. Under Chief Roly McIntosh, Creeks argued that no matter what General Jesup had said, the maroons were still human property, and as such they could be sold or claimed by their rightful owners. Not surprisingly, some Creeks miraculously produced titles to individual blacks. Others made claims based on archaic treaties and unfulfilled promises from the U.S. government. An age-old tension was resurfacing in Oklahoma.