Oklahoma in the Civil War

"Nowhere was America's Civil War more intense or its impact more severe than in Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma. Every able-bodied male in the area fought either with the Confederacy or the United States, and many fought with both. Death and destruction prevailed for four years." LeRoy H.Fischer Professor of History Emeritus at OSU

Minority Women during War Time

· The crisis of the Civil War affected many different minority groups aside from the larger ones. For instance the Cherokee women were affected greatly by the war.

· One area that the war affected the Cherokee women was their identity. They were no longer able to live up to their full expectations of true women hood.


· Cherokee women also became split between the choice of whether to become part of the politics of the war, or to stand outside the battles.

· Along with the violence that they faced, Cherokee women went through wrenching changes in their status and authority. Their way of life began to breakdown.


· The Cherokee women were not the only women affected by the events occurring. Many of the elite Cherokee women had slaves whose lives were changed as well. African Americans were predominately either slaves or members of tribes in the Indian Territory.

· Some African American women owned by Cherokees told of being raped by their masters, and the harsh whippings they received.


· Other African American slaves recalled their masters treating them well.