Question

Benjamin Hawkins trading with the Creek Indians” Unidentified artist, circa 1805, Benjamin Hawkins and the Creek Indian, circa 1805, oil on canvas, 35 7/8 x 49 7/8 inches

What are the people in the painting doing? In what ways does the artist depict Indians having adopted the kind of social order Hawkins is encouraging? Explain the social order. Refer to the Give Me Liberty to support your answer if applicable.

Answer 1

The painting mainly depicts the teaching of agriculture and the using of agricultural tools to the Creek Indians by Benjamin Hawkins. Creek Indians are one of the five civilized tribes in the Southeast United States. Benjamin Hawkins was an American planter, statesman and U.S. Indian agent.

In the picture, we can see Benjamin Hawkins teaching the Creek Indians about agriculture and equipment used in agriculture. It is a typical encounter between the Creek Indians and Benjamin Hawkins, who have done lots of helps with them.

Benjamin Hawkins started to train agriculture to Creek Indians when he started working on behalf of the United States and later continues training them for the Creeks. He encouraged people to move from the towns to the villages and from the villages into the farms. After helping people to come to the villages from town and then to the farms, he was able to help them to trade the agricultural products that they made. And helped them later on behalf of these Creeks than the U.S. government. Then the Creeks started to seek help from Hawkins not only for their public concerns but also for their private concerns. This way he was able to maintain a social order among the creeks.