The events that led to the Second Seminole War include:
- the signing of the Treaty of Payne’s Landing
- the harboring of runaway slaves
- the signing of the Indian Removal Act
While "Manifest Destiny" was a broader ideology influencing U.S. expansion at the time, it was not a direct event leading to the war. The fighting of the Mexican-American War was also not a direct cause of the Second Seminole War.