DS as president, signed “T. Roosevelt,” three pages, 8.5 x 13.75, January 23, 1903. Official document issued by the Executive Office of the Cherokee Nation, which finds T. M. Buffington, as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, certifying and submitting for the approval of President Roosevelt the Act of Congress (31 Stat. 1058) entitled, ‘An Act Making Appropriations for the Current and Contingent Expenses of the Indian Department and for Fulfilling Treaty Stipulations with Various Indian Tribes for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1902, and for Other Purposes.’ Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Theodore Roosevelt and countersigned by Buffington. The first two pages, regarding Senate Bill No. 27, “An act making an appropriation to pay the per diem and expenses of the Representatives of the Cherokee Nation at the Conference of the Five Civilized Tribes held at Eufaula, Indian Territory, on the 28th day of November 1902,” lists the recipients and the related expenditures, amounting to a total of $134.95, which is signed by Buffington and three others at the conclusion. The file folder and the lower right of two pages bear ownership stamps belonging to “The Thos. J. Harrison Private Library.” In fine condition.
The Conference of the Five Civilized Tribes was a significant series of meetings and negotiations between the federal government and the Five Civilized Tribes, which included the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek (Muscogee), and Seminole nations. The primary purpose of these meetings was to address land allotments and the dissolution of tribal governments and communal land ownership. The events of this conference were part of the broader transition of Indian Territory (which included the Five Civilized Tribes) into the state of Oklahoma, which officially occurred in 1907. While the specific conference at Eufaula in 1902 was conducted primarily by government officials and tribal leaders, it was part of a broader federal policy that Roosevelt supported and continued from his predecessors.
During his presidency, Roosevelt advocated for the continuation of policies aimed at assimilating Native American tribes into mainstream American society. This included the implementation of the Dawes Act and related legislation, which promoted the division of tribal lands into individual allotments and the dissolution of tribal governments. Roosevelt believed in the concept of ‘civilizing’ Native Americans by encouraging them to adopt farming and other aspects of Western culture. His administration continued to oversee the implementation of these policies, which had a significant impact on the Five Civilized Tribes and other Native American nations.
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