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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Members of the United Warrior Band of the Seminole |
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Nation/John Horse Band take great pride in their rich history; and |
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WHEREAS, In the early 18th century, Spanish Florida welcomed |
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both African Americans escaping slavery and Seminoles moving away |
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from encroaching colonialism in Alabama and Georgia; the two |
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imperiled groups intermingled, and people with Seminole cultural |
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traditions and African forebears eventually became known as Black |
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Seminoles; after the United States purchased Florida in 1819, |
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President Andrew Jackson waged the Second Seminole War to drive out |
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the Seminoles and Black Seminoles; and |
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WHEREAS, Black Seminole hero John Horse, a famed warrior and |
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diplomat, resettled his people in Indian Territory in the 1840s; |
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life there proved precarious, with the threat of re-enslavement by |
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the Creeks as well as by Whites; in 1848, the acting U.S. attorney |
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general ruled that the Black Seminoles were property that could be |
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reclaimed; John Horse and his ally, Seminole Chief Coacoochee, led |
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their followers across the Red River into the frontier, and they |
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camped near Waco, Fredericksburg, and Fort Duncan in Texas before |
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finding greater safety in Mexico; in the ensuing years, many of the |
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Black Seminoles aided the Mexican Army's defense of the border, and |
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they were rewarded with a land grant; Mr. Horse reportedly attained |
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the rank of colonel; and |
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WHEREAS, After the Civil War, the U.S. Army began recruiting |
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experienced Black Seminole warriors from Mexico to help battle |
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raids along the border; the Seminole Negro Indian Scout Detachment |
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was established in 1870, and the scouts were instrumental in |
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quelling hostilities on the Texas frontier; they engaged in 26 |
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campaigns, and several received the Medal of Honor for their valor; |
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many went on to serve alongside the Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Duncan |
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and Fort Clark; while John Horse did not join the scouts, he served |
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as an advisor and as an interpreter during negotiations with Indian |
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tribes; he died in Mexico City in 1882, during a mission to settle a |
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dispute over Black Seminole land; and |
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WHEREAS, John Horse and the Seminole Negro Indian Scouts |
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played pivotal roles in the early history of the Lone Star State, |
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and it is indeed fitting to recognize the United Warrior Band of the |
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Seminole Nation/John Horse Band for celebrating and preserving a |
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remarkable legacy of courage, resilience, and independence; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor the United Warrior Band of the Seminole |
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Nation/John Horse Band and extend to the members sincere best |
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wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the organization as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |