Browse Items (71 total)

Image of woman -- Shule Jones -- voting on the Brighton Reservation. While she is exercising a new form of political expression, as did others on the reservation, many Seminoles initially had to be assisted in the electoral process.

This photograph was taken at the time of the formal Everglades National Park dedication. Admiral Leahy is to the right of the President and U.S. Senator Spessard Holland is behind the President and the Admiral.

Toward the middle of the 1900s, the…

As Seminoles gradually relocated onto the reservations, chickees--dwellings made of cypress logs and palmetto fronds--became a common sight on the grounds. The presence of chickees allowed Florida Indians on reservations to maintain aspects of their…

For several decades after the reestablishment of contact with the U.S., Florida Indian subsistence was still tied to hunting and fishing. Although they traded for American goods, which they considered luxuries, this self-sufficiency gave them a…

Some Florida Indians maintained self-sufficiency through the tourism industry in the early 20th century. Income from such activities lessened their dependence on governmental assistance, which, in turn, allowed them a greater amount of autonomy.…

The elective process was a new experience for many Indians. On August 21, 1957, only 30% of the eligible Seminoles voted on ratification of their tribe’s constitution. However, of those who voted, 98% were in favor of accepting the constitution.

During the course of the 1830s and 1840s, the federal government forcibly relocated Southeastern American Indian communities—including large segments of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole Tribes––from their traditional homelands by…

A Florida Indian tribal member greets American entrepreneur, Barron Collier, and Dr. Fons A. Hathaway, the Chairman of the State Road Department, during the opening of the Tamiami Trail. The road connected Tampa to Miami. It was built to provide…

The expansion of American culture into the swamplands of Florida is evident in this postcard. More isolated regions of the Everglades were also being affected by comprehensive swamp drainage projects.

The Seminole Constitution was the first of the two Florida tribes' constitutions to be officially recognized by the U.S. government. The leadership expected this to be a major step toward the federal government's eventual acceptance of Seminole…