Zack Krug
October 6, 2009
The Re-birth, Revolt, and Removal of the Cherokee
The Cherokee were forced into giving up most of their land in the eighteenth century. Through fraudulent treaties and unjust deals the Cherokee lost close to all of their land during this time. One of the biggest loses coming from “Henderson’s Purchase”, in Kentucky, 1775. In an effort to stop the complete takeover of all Indian land, the Cherokees go through a transformation in order to survive in a new world. “The great Cherokee renascence of 1794-1833 was the re-birth of that people in the image of the United States, yet with a difference.” (McLoughlin, Preface)
The Cherokee renascence was an attempt to conform to a new economic and political society, through education in the legal and moral aspects of the society and its laws. In essence they are trying to fight fire with fire by obtaining the same mental arsenal as the Americans. For years, the Cherokees had watched their land disappear. Through intimidation and coercion the natives were slowly removed from their land by treaty, and physical force. The Cherokees were aware that they were being taken advantage of, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Regarding Cherokee renascence, the idea is to be educated in the white mans customs, and study the white mans laws, so that they have the political power to defend themselves from unjust laws, and treaties. This strategy works in a sense as Indians begin to flourish, producing, intelligent, and rational thoughts, which advance the native race. This re-born Indian would change the view of natives, in the eyes of Americans. The idea of the “Whiteman’s Indian” dramatically changed by the 19th century, as the Cherokee were no longer seen as a primitive race. Instead they were now seen as a threat.
The Essay on The Cherokee Victory Indian Removal
... and had three minor Cherokee chief's sign the "Treaty of New Echo ta" in 1835 giving the Cherokee lands to the government for ... Through the Indian Removal act in 1830 President Andrew Jackson appropriated planning and funding for the removal of Native Americans, ... jurisdiction over this 'nation,' the Cherokees sought legal actions, not subject to Georgia laws and petitioned the United States Supreme ...
During the time period of this Renascence, literacy rates soared in Cherokee villages as more schools were built, enrollment increased, and the Cherokee alphabet, ‘Talking Leaves”, was introduced by Sequoyah. The laws that the natives had made, became more elaborate, and were put together as their constitution in 1827. The Cherokees became prime example of a developing Indian, and were labeled as, “the most civilized tribe in America.” (McLoughlin, pg. 279) The Cherokees became self-sufficient and began competing with American traders, instead of having to rely on their goods to survive. Their newfound education also helped in their ability to reason, and bargain. Another important aspect in this renascence, that affected Indian education, was the emergence of mixed-blood Indians. The mixed-blood Indians brought a new blend of people who had the knowledge of both cultures and could better combine both ways of living into one that was better off.
They adopted many European customs while outlining American way of life, such as, a representative government, schools, churches, roads, and even styles of fashion. The Cherokee also took on American thoughts on slavery, and in many cases had slaves. Since the Cherokees homeland was in the Deep South, they thought it would be prudent politically to take the side of slavery. Taking on these new European customs has an adverse effect on traditional Indian ways. “They still celebrated some of their old festivals-the Green Corn Dance for Thanksgiving, the purification ritual, the lighting of the new fire at the start of the year, but other ceremonies died away.”(Lippert, pg.115) For example, an elaborate set of eleven laws passed in the early 1820’s replaced the traditional decentralized town government system in which there were chosen “headsman” who served as leaders. The natives also made a drastic change from hunters to agrarians. They begin to make their own food as agrarians, and step away from traditional hunting of furs, to trade for food. Some of the Chiefs in the Cherokee nation realized that men could not support their families on the sale of furs alone. This prompted the selling of some of the last of the Cherokee hunting grounds in 1805 and 1806. The money from these treaties would go to agricultural equipment, and harvest tools. The Cherokee started producing food very well, and Americans were jealous. The Cherokee tried to adapt to American ways in order to be accepted but this attempt only added to the
The Essay on Made Them Move If The Indians Americans Land Oklahoma
Oklahoma History The Indians contributed to there problem. When the Spanish came to America there was already an indigenous people here. When Christopher Columbus first came over on the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, He thought they were going to find a passage to India so when they saw the people they called them Indians. In 1803 the immigrants now known as Americans bought some land from the ...
A number of Cherokee removals were attempted in subsequent years. The Creek War (1812-1814) was an attempt by Andrew Jackson to cheat the Cherokee out of 2.2 million acres of land. The hostility shown by the Indians in Mississippi Valley, and the failure to comply and cede their land makes it clear to Americans that the Indians cannot be trusted. “Once a savage always a savage” (Laduke, pg. 206).
On top of this notion the Americans thought that the Indians were not using resources properly and were hindering the United States efforts of a manifest destiny, which was to become the most powerful nation. Andrew Jackson tried his best to rid Tennessee and Arkansas of the Cherokee from 1816-1819 but to no avail. A lot of land was lost by the Cherokee and trickery was the biggest reason why. A conspiracy was uncovered in the town of Creek Path, where Jackson had hoped to negotiate a cession of the surrounding areas. The negotiation in part was between Jackson and some of the Cherokee chiefs, in which they would sell part of the nation without permission of the National Council. This conspiracy finally opened the eyes of the Cherokee. If they want to keep their land they must question everything the Americans do. They must try and win the legal battle within the parameters of the white mans laws.
In 1828 the Cherokee tried to establish themselves as a sovereign nation which would exempt them from Georgia law, hence they couldn’t be touched. In the case, “Cherokee vs. Georgia (1828)”, the Supreme Court rules that the Cherokee nation is not sovereign, and are merely tenants on state land. In 1830, Congress passes the “Indian Removal Act.” This bill was quickly signed by President Jackson, as it gave him the power to relocate Indians in the East to a specified location in Oklahoma. The act attempted to be fair in that it gave Indians the choice of making a treaty to trade lands in the east for lands in the west, and also allowed Indians who did not want to leave to become citizens of their respective state. Despite the attempt, if they resisted they were forced to move and if they stayed they would be tormented by whites until they sold their land and moved west.
The Essay on Cherokee Indians Native Americans
The Cherokee Tribe The Cherokees are a North American tribe. This Indian tribe has a lot to do with our history. It is the biggest Indian tribe that we have today. The Cherokee tribes had a wide range where they lived across the United States, from Texas to the Great Lakes. The tribes started in Asia, and over time they ended up in the Great Smoky Mountains. In Georgia, the government tried to run ...
Many Indians resisted the removal, and taking of their land, so they moved west. Despite the effort, they could not get rid of the Americans. The American population increased exponentially and they expanded westward taking over Cherokee land. Americans swarmed the center of Cherokee homeland, considered to be in Georgia, when gold was found in the mountains. The demand for land, and this discovery of gold was the cause for most Americans to become immersed in politics. As voters, Americans are able to take part in decisions that affect the country. Assuming that you were a white male, over twenty-one, free, and a landowner, you could vote. These voters wanted access to cheap land, so political candidates were forced to cater to their wants in order to get the popular vote. The Indians were living on the land they needed to please the voters. This political turmoil ultimately started the removal of the Cherokee.
The American government struggled to force Indians to relocate as many would not go without a fight. This can be seen in the several Seminole wars which stemmed from Indians resisting relocation. Along with physical battles to keep their homeland the Cherokee tried to legally battle for the rights to their homeland. In the case, Worcester vs. Georgia (1831), the natives were able to prove, through passages in the constitution, that the Cherokee nation was sovereign and not subjected to abide by any laws imposed on the nation. The removal laws were invalid and the Cherokee would have to give the land away through treaty. The state of Georgia didn’t care for the decision and continued to torment the Cherokee. In the following years trickery was used in treaties in order to get Indians out of the East. In a treaty with the creeks in 1832, most of Alabama was given for purposes of white settlement, with the notion that the rest of Alabama would be owned and occupied by the Creeks, and it would be protected. Unfortunately the treaty never protected the land from speculators which took the land from the creeks. The Americans were sneaky and scandalous, they cheated the Indians the best they knew how.
The Term Paper on Culture of Cherokee American Indians
Scholars differ on where the Cherokee subculture came from and when they arrived on their traditional lands in the Southeast. The archaeological record of human occupancy of the Southeast goes back to at least 10,000 B. C. (Muller, 1978, p. 283; Canouts and Goodyear, 1985, p. 181), but this does not mean the Cherokees, or even their very distant ancestors, were there that early. Cherokees, as ...
The Treaty of New Echota would seal the fate for the Eastern tribes. The treaty was considered illegitimate because the leaders who had signed it did not represent a majority of the people; in fact they only had the approval of about 500 Cherokee out of 15,000. Despite this fact, the senate ratified the treaty and Jackson had the legal document needed to start removing Indians. Over seventy thousand Indians were removed and forced to walk or boat to Oklahoma. This trail that removed Indians from their homes for ten years, across the Mississippi to Oklahoma, is known as “The Trail of Tears.”
The Cherokee gave up hundreds of years of traditions, and ceremonies, to try and fit the mold of an American, in an attempt to live amongst each other in peace and ultimately “fit in.” Through a renascence the Cherokee were able to learn, adapt, and conform to a new political and social lifestyle. Cherokee were seen as primitive, but after the renascence they were seen as “the most civilized tribe in America.” However, despite being civilized and becoming an equal to the Americans, they do not accept the Indians into there community. Instead, they feel threatened by their rapid advancement educationally, spiritually, politically, and socially. The “Whiteman’s Indian” had changed for the worse, because the Indians now had power by having a voice, and they were no longer the baby to take candy from. This was a good strategy by the Cherokee, to attempt and fit in, they just advanced to fast. The threatening feeling that came from their rapid advancement, coupled with the fact that their was so much pressure on politicians to make the voters happy, created a sense of urgency to get the Indians out of the way and make room for more of their own people. The Cherokee had managed to reproduce the image of an American within them, but with a difference; they weren’t American but were trying to be, which consequently alienated Americans. This caused resentment and hatred for the Indians. This hatred turned violent and resulted in one of the most tragic events in United States history, “The Trail of Tears.”
The Term Paper on The Mistreatment Of Native Americans
The Mistreatment of Native Americans United States of America claims to be one of the most democratic countries in the world. Every high school student knows that democracy means government of people, a society where every groups interests are represented and where the supreme power belongs to citizens of this particular country. On the surface, Americas system seems to be working well everybody ...
