Tyler Roush
American Literature I
Professor Wallace
06/29/17
Major Essay #2
The Cherokee Indians are one of the most well-known American Indian tribes here in the U.S. However, once the Europeans came to the new world and started to expand their territory, this did not bode well for them. Many tribes were enraged by the expansion into Native American lands. Even when the Europeans had promised that they would not encroach onto their lands. Gold was said to be on the lands of the Cherokee and this made the Europeans want to break their promise to the Indians even more so now that they knew that gold was said to be there.
Andrew Jackson became president in 1829. Now, many people knew that he was a notorious Indian fighter and
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In 1828, The Cherokee Buck Watie (who took up the name of Elias Boudinot) founded and edited The Cherokee Phoenix, which was used to state the Cherokee view of the problem. They also wrote a number of letters, briefs and petitions to the government. These appeals did not have their effect, as the government kept insisting that the Indians voluntarily leave the territory. In 1835, a number of leaders signed the Treaty of New Echota after concluding that any further attempts to fight against the government were futile.” Once the Cherokee agreed to the removal act, federal troops had come in to enforce it. This was known as the Trail of Tears. The troops made the some 12,000 Cherokee Indians walk to their new home west of the Mississippi River. Along the way around 4,000 Cherokee died. Even though the government at the time wanted to remove all of the tribes to west of the Mississippi River, the Cherokee had fought them in court. They stated that their lands were sacred and that they had been there for generations. The Cherokee fought their removal through the many court systems in the United States at the time. Their case went all the way up to the Georgia Supreme Court.
Once at the highest court available in the State, the Cherokee had kept with their rhetoric that they were not wishing to attack the Europeans or those living near them. They only wished to have the promise of the government that they made to not encroach onto their lands and then everyone can
The Cherokee Indians on the other hand faced conflicts that were not like any of the above Indian tribes. They were the last tribe to fight for their land which was in the Appalachian Mountains. The Cherokees were basically became their own country. They had a developed Republican Government, and their own Constitution. They had many conflicts with America though. For example, they had the same land claimed as Georgia causing a big problem that ended up in the Supreme Court. In this case the judges could not decide who had claim of the disputed land. After this, Andrew Jackson persuaded a small group of the Cherokees to sign the Treaty of New Echota. This allowed the American Government ownership to the Cherokee territory, in return America gave them new land west of the Mississippi River
The Cherokee people were forced out of their land because of the settler’s greed for everything and anything the land had to offer. Many Cherokee even embraced the “civilization program,” abandoning their own beliefs so that they may be accepted by white settlers. Unfortunately for the Cherokee though, the settlers would never accept them as an equal citizen. A quote from historian Richard White says it very well, “The Cherokee are probably the most tragic instance of what could have succeeded in American Indian policy and didn’t. All these things that Americans would proudly see as the hallmarks of civilization are going to the West by Indian people. They do everything they were asked except one thing. What the Cherokees ultimately
On May 28, 1830 the president of the United States of America, Andrew Jackson signed the
For years the president of the United States was seen as a man who was superior to the people they were leading until president Andrew Jackson changed that preconceived idea. Jackson was the first man that wanted to lead the country that provided a sense of equity with the common man, even though his impoverished background was far behind him and he was now a wealthy man, Jackson seemed to be a humble president, something America hadn’t seen. This new American vision led people to elect Jackson as a president in 1829, unfortunately overseeing his impulsive and arrogant attitude. By making questionable decisions during and before his time in office that encouraged brutality against Native Americans, and abusing his presidential power, Andrew Jackson proved to be an inadequate leader of the United States.
In 1831, the Cherokee nation went to court against the state of Georgia. They were disputing the state’s attempt to hold jurisdiction over their territory. Unfortunately, because they are not under the laws of the constitution, the Indian’s right to court was denied. It was not until 1835 that the Cherokee finally agreed to sign the treaty, giving up their Georgia land for that of Oklahoma.
The Indian Removal Act, inspired by Andrew Jackson; the 7th president of the US and the enhanced ambition for American settlers to find more land in the southwestern regions of North America. The Indian Removal Act enabled Jackson the power of negotiating removal treaties with Indian tribes east of the Mississippi. Among these tribes were: Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaws and Seminoles. Very few authenticated traits were signed. The Choctaws were the only tribe to agree without any issues. All other attempts resulted in War and blood shed for both white settlers and Indians. The conflict with the U.S. and Indians lasted up until 1837. In 1838 & 1839 Jackson forced the relocation of the remaining Cherokee Indians;
The Cherokee indians were being forced out of the land that rightfully belonged to them. During the indian removal act of 1830 the Cherokee indians were being forced off their land that was rightfully theirs for natural resources,gold, and land that the United States of America said that belonged to them(video). When gold was discovered in Georgia,the Cherokee indians were in danger of being harmed by the whites that were in their land. Andrew Jackson stated,”It would incalculably strengthen the southwestern frontier and render adjacent states to repel future invasions. ”(book 355)
The Cherokee tribe have lived what is now Northern Georgia for more than one hundred years. So it is claimed to be there land and therefore they have the right to stay and turn down the offer. Another argument is that the Cherokee had against the Americans is that there family, homes, and everything they know would have been taken away from them. Although the Americans have gave them fortune such as 70,000 square miles of land and millions of dollars if they leave. The Cherokee wasn’t aware of what awaits them if they did move to the new land.
Some may wonder why the Cherokee did not fight for their land. Historians suggest that the Cherokee knew America was a more powerful force. They were also a peaceful tribe that didn’t wish to start a war, so they instead chose to go and find new land. Based on their belief system they valued peace, not violence. This made the Cherokee distinctive to other tribes involved in the Trail of Tears, because they peacefully left while the other tribes planned to fight until they realized they had a small chance of winning a battle against Jackson and America.
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States, he won the presidential race for his support of farmers and workingmen. His role as president led him to pass nine treaties and Indian Removal Act, although everything he passed was not what was promised. There are now questions about what the removal was, how Jackson got it passed, and is it what the Indians expected it to be? President Jackson got the Indian Removal Act passed on May 28, 1830, when it was passed it said that the move west would be voluntary and peaceful, although Jackson and his administration had other plans for the Indians and their land.
In this agreement, nearly a quarter of a century before Cherokee removal was a major issue, the inevitable removal of the tribe was already established. No Cherokee was told of this agreement nor did they approve it. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the removal of the Cherokees to the West was possible however public support was not with the government. Since the Cherokee’s had fought with the United States against the Creek Indians, the
The Trail of Tears was the result of the United States government’s treatment of the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee was the last tribe to fight for their home in the Appalachian region of North and South Carolina, as well as in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. The Cherokee developed a republican government ruled by a constitution in 1820, much like that of the U.S. Despite their organization, they could not stop the settlers push for possession of the Cherokee territory, especially when gold was discovered on their lands in Georgia. To keep the land in their own hands, the Cherokee passed a law that made any sale of Cherokee lands punishable by death. The state of Georgia then challenged the Cherokee assembly and declared their rule null and
During the time of the Cherokee Nation v. Georgia case, the United States was very focused on expanding, especially to the South and West. The country had already started removing and relocating Indian Tribes (Indian Removal Act). The Cherokee were a self-sustaining tribe that remodeled their government and way of life off the US. When they refused to sell their land to the country, the US called for their lands to be seized and ordered state sovereignty to control them. Including the land, gold discovered on the lands made it more appealing for the country. Angry with this treatment, the Cherokee went to the Supreme Court to get the USA to back off and let them own their lands in peace.
The cherokee indians were removed after gold was found in georgia, they left behind farms, homes and their land.The government made The Treaty of New Echota which promised the indians land in indian territory,livestock, tools, and other benefits. They lost about 4,000 indians on the trail due to hunger,exposure and disease. They called it “The trail where they cried” and they mark the graves of the ones that did not survive.
The United States were looking to advance the nation interests by expanding its land territory. For America to thrive, more land would be needed for the future existence of the country. However, the Cherokee, an Native American tribe owned land across the Southeastern region of North America. In previous years there were treaties between the government and the Cherokee people, which recognized them as a sovereign nation. The Cherokee occupied land in Georgia, which many in the state requested the federal government to abandon the agreement and remove the Native Americans from the land. The state of Georgia believed the Cherokee impeded upon the future expansion and the use of resources