In the early 1800s, a large portion of land in present-day Georgia was home to the Muscogee Nation, also known as the Creek Nation.

This was a proud group of Indigenous tribes who had lived there for generations.

One of their most well-known leaders was a man named William McIntosh.

But McIntosh was not like most Muscogee (Creek) leaders.

He had a complicated past and an even more complicated future.

(cheerful music) William McIntosh was born in the late 1770s to a Muscogee (Creek) mother and a Scottish father.

Because of this, he grew up knowing both Indigenous and European American ways of life.

He dressed like a white settler, spoke English, ran a plantation with enslaved workers.

And was even related to several prominent Georgians, including Governor George Troup.

But he was also a respected Muscogee (Creek) chief, representing his people in important meetings.

This made him a bridge between two worlds, but also put him in the middle of a growing storm.

[Narrator] Because he fought well against the British in the War of 1812, he was made a general in the United States Army.

Because he was respected by the Creeks, he was one of their chiefs.

They called him "the white warrior."

In 1823, McIntosh built a hotel and a tavern at Indian Springs near Jackson.

He was a wealthy man, but the Creek Nation was struggling.

The Creeks owned millions of acres of land in Georgia, but the government wanted it.

They wanted to sell it to white farmers to grow cotton and other profitable crops.

But the Creeks had lived here for many generations, and this was a sacred place to them.

In fact, it was against Creek law to sell the land.

- The Creeks believed in a sort of communal life, and lived in communities or townships.

And the land was held in common.

Europeans believed in ownership.

And when two worlds collide with different ideas about ownership, the stage is set for conflict.

(stirring music) (gun blasting) [Narrator] The result was armed conflict.

Part of the Creek Nation wanted to fight for their land, and they fought fiercely.

But in the end, they were outnumbered by the US Army.

There were other Creeks who wanted to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the government, who thought that the Indians should sell their land and leave Georgia while the government was still willing to pay.

McIntosh was one of them.

This is what he said.

[William] The white tide rises, we can't stop it.

And if we don't sell, we will be cast aside, homeless, and treated like animals without any place to go.

[Narrator] There were many treatises signed over the years, each one selling more Creek land to the government.

Finally, on February 12, 1825, Chief William McIntosh signed the Treaty of Indian Springs here at his hotel.

The treaty gave the United States government the last Creek land in Georgia in return for $200,000 paid to Chief McIntosh and a few other Creek chiefs.

Many Creeks accused McIntosh of breaking their law against selling land.

They came to the hotel and one of them stood on this rock, shouting in anger.

[Creek Leader] Brothers, the grounds of our fathers have been stolen by our chief and sold by him to the pale face.

Their gold is in his pouch.

The grounds are gone from us, and the plows of the pale face will soon upturn the bones of our fathers.

[Narrator] And then the leader called to McIntosh, who was inside the hotel preparing to sign the treaty.

[Creek Leader] You snake, you will die for this.

For Chief McIntosh's deed, he was executed according to Creek law at that time.

No Creek chief could sign a treaty selling Creek land, and so that was the law that he was executed under.

Despite McIntosh's death, the US government enforced the Second Treaty of Indian Springs.

As a result, most of the Muscogee (Creek) people were forced to leave Georgia and move out west to what is now Oklahoma.

This was part of a larger policy called Indian Removal, which pushed many Indigenous tribes off their land during the 1800s.

The journey was long and painful, and many Muscogee (Creeks) died along the way.

Today, people still debate whether William McIntosh was a traitor or a man trying to protect his people the only way that he knew how.

Some people say he cared more about his own power and wealth, while others believe he saw no other option in a changing world.

Either way, his story is a reminder of how tough choices, once made, can have lasting and tragic consequences.

(gentle music)