aug 21, 1905 - Muskogee Convention

Description:

In 1905, with the end of tribal governments looming (as prescribed by the Curtis Act of 1898), Native Americans of the Five Civilised Tribes — the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek (Muskogee), and Seminole — in Indian Territory proposed to create a state as a means to retain control of their lands. The State of Sequoyah was a proposed state to be established from the Indian Territory in the eastern part of present-day Oklahoma. Their intention was to have a state under Native American constitution and governance. The proposed state was to be named in honour of Sequoyah, the Cherokee who created a writing system in 1825 for the Cherokee language.

Sequoyah statehood bills were introduced but defeated. President Theodore Roosevelt then proposed a compromise that would join Indian Territory with Oklahoma Territory to form a single state. This resulted in passage of the Oklahoma Enabling Act, which he signed June 16, 1906.

Added to timeline:

Date: