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Greenwood Leflore and David Folsom to Andrew Jackson
Council Ground Choctaw Nation March 18 1830–
To Our Father the President of the United States.
Your Red Children of the Choctaw Nation have heard the talk of their
Father the President. We were told that the State of Mississippi would extend
her laws over us, and, we are not not permitted to look to our Father for
protection. We are distressed. We see among us the aged warriours who
fought for our white brothers many years ago; they tell us that our Great
Father Washington promised them that our great father the President would
always be the friend of the red people, and we see among us the widows and
orphans of warriours who fought for our white brothers under our present
father the President, and many of our warriours, yet feel the brotherly hand of
our father, when he told them that our white brothers loved us: Our warriours
were glad! Our white brothers have lived many years very near to your
choctaw children, and when our white brothers told us that they were many
in number, and wished land to make bread for their children our fathers heard
the talk of their white brothers, and let them have land. Again our white
brothers wanted land, and our fathers heard them and let them have land.
Our white brothers told us that they were increasing and wanted land; we
heard our fathers talk, but our land was small; most of our land we already
had given up to our white brothers: where we now live is the place of our
fathers homes. Here the bones of our fathers rest. We said we cannot sell
our fathers homes, and leave the place of our birth. Our present Father the
President told us that his white children would put their laws upon us. They
have done so. Our Father tells us that we had better leave our land, and go
to a land where he can protect us; and that he cannot protect us upon our
present land. We love our land, but we cannot suffer our council fire to be
extinguished by submiting to the laws of our white brothers, but to stain our
hands with the blood of our white brothers we cannot consent. We never
have done so. We know that our warriours are too few to defend ourselves;
but our father knows that Choctaws are not affraid to die. Many of them
have fought and bled by the side of our Father the President. We ardently
wish to live in peace with our white brothers. Many among them love us.
We could not think of injuring them were it in our power.
Most of our People have heard and are trying to obay the talk of the
Great Spirit. This tells us to love even those who injure us; and that we may
live in peace with our white brothers, we have determined to leave our homes,

Images Source: National Archives, Washington, D.C., Record Group 46, SEN 21B-C4