Throughout history, a flourishing economy is what truly defines the growth of a society. Impacts and influences from the western world help other societies grow their economy to the fullest. The United States’ relationship with the Native Americans has been an ongoing conflict dating back to the early seventeenth century. This conflict resulted in several laws passed by the federal government imposing Native American freedom in the United States with regards to their economy. The Seminole Indians in South Florida have endured a lot of hardships with their economy being affected by the federal government. The Miccosukee Indians of South Florida was created in 1962 as a branch of the Seminole Indians and based their economy off the Seminoles. Both tribes have created economies established around the gaming industry and with influences of the United States government on the Seminole and Miccosukee Indians have driven their economy to a focus on the gaming industry as an alternative to their destitute society. Although the Seminole and Miccosukee Indians of South Florida have created an economy encompassing the gaming industry through federal aid and modern day societal attention, the lasting harsh effects these tribes had to endure holds a critical part of their strong identity. 

          Although several efforts by the federal government have been made, lasting effects due to the misfortune of the Seminole Indians have led to a disperse society. The federal government attempted to help the Seminole Indians by granting them land and aid in regards to the gaming industry, however many efforts fell short. Through the enactment of the Indians Claims Commission Act, “Indians were able to create their own mini societies with minimal interference from the federal government”[1]. This act was considered unconstitutional since it deprived the Seminoles of their rights, however was still passed regardless of the backlash. The backlash demonstrated by the federal government shows how the readjustment of the Seminoles posed several debates in the political realm. With reforms passed to help different minorities, such as African Americans and women during the mid twentieth century, Native Americans started gaining more attention in society to promote reforms in the Native American society. Even though, through the effects of this act, the Seminoles were able to create their own economies and societies for the Indians to have a more coherent community. The federal government’s involvement in the Seminole War shaped the Seminole’s economy and society for years to come. The federal government’s interference with the Seminoles and forcing them to relocate into reservations in the Mid-West was a big mistake. Due to the three separate wars, all combining a total of forty years, the Seminoles were set back in society and their economy suffered. Prior to the wars, “the economy of the Seminoles was based around agriculture; growing crops and trading for several goods, however when the United States forced them to relocate to the Mid-West, the Seminoles had to restart with a whole new economy”[2], which set them back in both society and their economy. Due to this, several Seminoles were forced to recreate a society and economy in an unfamiliar part of the United States. Those that remained in Florida, resided to South Florida into the Everglades, where they were also unfamiliar with the landscape and had to resort back to the basics of agriculture. Until the late 1980s, the Seminoles had an economy based on sparse materials, which wasn’t benefitting their society at all. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 allowed the Seminoles to shift their economy to a more modern one with a focus on the gaming industry. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act proved to be a catalyst to the shift in the Seminoles economy during a time when the culture of America was enduring change with regards to all minorities in the country. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Acts allowed the Seminoles to fully recover from a very destitute economy to an economy that appealed the modern day. The passing of federal acts in the modern era were influenced by the counterculture of the America during the late 1900s allowed the Seminoles economy to flourish to the way it is today.

          The lasting effects of the harsh federal government actions have shaped the way the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes of South Florida run their societies and economies. The federal government granted aid towards the primitive economy of the Seminoles through several acts benefitting the Indians. The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 “gave the Seminole Indians specific land distribution following treaties made after the Seminole Indian Wars.”[3] In an attempt to integrate the Seminoles into the modern-day society, the federal government passed this act to secure lands for the Indian tribes and to designate the lands as Indian Reservation territory. Through the Gaming and Regulatory Act, the gaming industry of the Seminole Indians has been transformed due to the influences of modern-day society. Gambling has become a very important part of the culture of the youth in America and as a result, the economy of the Seminoles and Miccosukee thrived. The creation of casinos to better the economy of the Native Americans in South Florida “helped them get out of a state of depression prior to the late 1900s.”[4] The identity of the Seminole and Miccosukee Indians have been dynamic since the change of focus with regards to their economy. These tribes used to be very religious and practiced their customs thoroughly, however due to the federal government’s intervention; these many have lost their true customary values.[5] Gaming was never practiced by the Seminoles prior to the late 20th century, but influence from the modern day and the need to create an economy drove the involvement the Seminoles had in the gaming industry. The gaming industry shaped the economy of the Seminole and Miccosukee Indians by giving them a source of profit, holding some traditional values, but mostly incorporating values from the modern day to make an economy centered on casinos.

          With the recent growing sense of enjoyment and addiction over casinos and gambling in the public realm, the gaming economy of the Seminoles and Miccosukee thrived. Since the late 1980s, more attention has been put on the youth culture movements and gambling has become one of these sought after activities that is addictive. The Seminole Hard Rock and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, recorded “a revenue of $528 million dollars from 2013-2014”[6] alone from pure use of casinos and gambling. The tribe has collected over “$2.1 billion from 2013-2014 throughout its several locations in South Florida”[7]. Thus, proving how the Seminoles are making an enormous amount of revenue from their industry of gaming. This industry does not only benefit the Seminoles but also provides jobs and boosts the local economy as well. Through the implementation of the creation of casinos on Indian reservation land, the local economy benefitted tremendously. The Seminole Hard Rock and Casino “provided 20,000 new jobs in South Florida in 2015 and provided for 1/8 of the entire revenue of gaming casinos in Florida”[8]. Seminoles and Miccosukee Indians have created a successful economy established around the entertainment industry which has not only benefitted themselves, but the public sphere around the Seminoles and Miccosukee Indians.

          The Seminole and Miccosukee Indians have struggled to find a place in the modern day society due to the intervention of the federal government. The involvement of the federal government with regard to the economy of Seminole and Miccosukee Indians has transformed their economy in both positive and negative ways. Through the Seminole Wars, the federal government attempted to misplace the Indians and create a new society; however through pushback by the Seminoles, some were able to reside in their home of South Florida. Although there were several attempts to help integrate Seminole and Miccosukee Indians into society and the economy through the development of the gaming industry, there were several which fell short of achieving those goals. The Seminoles and Miccosukee Indians have created a successful economy revolved around the gaming industry; however it was due to an effect of a desolate economy left after hardships because of the several laws imposed by the federal government, limiting the freedom of the Seminoles and Miccosukee. The future of the economy of these tribes lies in the hands of the local population and their involvement with the gaming industry to attempt to expand their economy.

[1] Harry A. Kersey. 1970. “Educating the Seminole Indians of Florida, 1879-1970”. The Florida Historical Quarterly49 (1). Florida Historical Society: 16–35. Accessed March 3, 2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30145818.

[2] Charles W. Smith. "Osceola's Seminoles Make Their Last Stand". The New York Times, April 26, 1925, Accessed December 5, 2015. http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?set=search&start=1&rendition=x-article-image&inmylist=false&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B107058055&mylisturn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-citation%3B107058055

[3] Jessica R. Cattelino. “One Hamburger at a Time”: Revisiting the State-Society Divide with the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Hard Rock international Current Anthropology, Vol. 52, No. S3, Corporate Lives: New Perspectives on the Social Life of the Corporate Form. Accessed December 5, 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/656556

[4] Brent R. Weisman. 2007. “Nativism, Resistance, and Ethnogenesis of the Florida Seminole Indian Identity”. Historical Archaeology 41 (4). Society for Historical Archaeology: 198–212. Accessed December 3, 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25617474.

[5] Ibid

[6] Nick Sortal “Seminole Hard Rock's revenue equals 8 local racinos combined”. The Sun Sentinal, Published August 31, 2014. Accessed April 25, 2016. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-08-31/news/fl-seminoles-recent-revenues-20140831_1_seminole-classic-seminole-casino-coconut-creek-tribe

[7] Ibid

[8] Joshua Gillin “New gaming compact offers Florida biggest guaranteed share of any state, Seminoles say” PolitiFact. Published February 11, 2016. Accessed April 26, 2016. http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2016/feb/11/seminole-tribe-florida/new-gaming-compact-offers-florida-biggest-guarante/