Simulation: The Cherokee Nation

The origin of the problem was an agreement, the Fort Wayne Treaty, signed in the fall of 1809 between the United States and representatives. In return for an outright bribe of $5,200 and individual annuities ranging from $250 to $500 for land already occupied by many other Indian groups. In August 1810, Tecumseh met with Governor Harrison to denounce the Fort Wayne Treaty. Harrison insisted that the agreement was legitimate. Tecumseh

The Treaty of Hopewell in 1785 established borders between the United States and the Cherokee Nation offered the Cherokees the right to send a “deputy” to Congress, and made American settlers in Cherokee territory subject to Cherokee law. With help from John Ross they helped protect the national territory. In 1825 the Cherokees capital was established, near present day Calhoun Georgia. The Cherokee National Council advised the United States that it would refuse future cession request and enacted a law prohibiting the sale of national land upon penalty of death. In 1827 the Cherokees adopted a written constitution, an act further removed by Georgia. But between the years of 1827 and 1831 the Georgia legislature extended the state’s jurisdiction over the Cherokee territory, passed laws purporting to abolish the Cherokees’ laws and government, and set in motion a process to seize the Cherokees’ lands, divide it into parcels, and other offer some to the lottery to the white Georgians.

First, it claimed that the Indians were easily influenced, saying that their tradition of common landholdings could be effortlessly changed. The promise was also ignorant to the fact that Indians have had years of agricultural experience. The focus was mostly on Indian men, however it was the women who traditionally did the farming the Native American civilizatins. Officials believed that Indian women, like those of European descent, should properly limit themselves to child rearing, household chores, and home manufacturing. The Federal government has violated the Indian Tribes independence and sovereignty. The government has forced them to become civilized. The Indians are natural born hunters, yet they have grown to become herdsmen and cultivators as it states in the Treaty of Holston. The government wanted to shape their lives to better accommodate the white peoples need for land because of the ever-growing population. In a letter to Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson says Indians “should be led to an agricultural way of life, thus lessening their need for land.” The Indians had taken up many white aspects of life. A member of the Cherokee nation, Sequoyah, invented a Cherokee alphabet that made possible a Cherokee-language bible and a bilingual tribal newspaper. According to a letter written by Calhoun to Clay, the Cherokee nation also had established two successful schools where children were taught gender-specific subjects [Document J]. This

Chief John Ross sent a letter to to the Senate and House of Representatives. In it he stated that a select group of Cherokee members who agreed and wanted to participate in the removal and had false representations of the tribe, signed the treaty when they were approached by men of the government( Ross, Paragraph 2). The U.S. government representatives knew that the Cherokee as a whole did not favor the removal, so they approached the ones the minority of tribesmen who did. The government knew that John Ross was the set leader of the Cherokee nation and they should of have approached him seeing as he was in charge of the tribe's best interest as a whole, not have been

The United States government’s treaties with the Chippewa Indians and the treaties with the Lakota Indians are as different as the tribes themselves. The treaties vary on where they were constructed, the negotiation style, and the content. Because of these differences, the Chippewa and the Lakota faced different outcomes because of their negotiations with the American government.

The making of the treaty was a problem and a conflict for several reasons. One is that the Indians didn’t like it. They were very afraid of being moved onto a reservation. They hated being on reservations because they knew that the Americans were going to put them on the same reservation as 40 other tribes. Plus they didn’t want to move onto the same place with an enemy tribe!(Schuster 65) Neither would I. They would probably get into a fight or an all out war actually! Furthermore there were hardly any resources for one tribe, so how were they going to feed several? Especially when there were hundreds in each tribe! (Lambert, 150) Another reason the Indians didn’t like the treaty was because they couldn’t tell if the Americans were telling the truth, America had broken promises and ripped up treaties with other nations and tribes before, why not this one? Then there was the reason about not wanting to cede their land. It was theirs to keep. They had rightfully claimed that land and who were the settlers to take it? They had made that land livable and they were not about to give it up to a nation that was greedy and selfish in their eyes. Another reason why they didn’t like the treaty was that they didn’t want to give up their land. They wanted to be able to hunt and grow plants and fish, use their own herbs, use their own spices without having to beg, buy, and starve.

The Indian Nations lost nearly half their land due to the Reconstruction treaties of 1866, which required the land lost to be used for resettlement of more Indian tribes. Indian populations within Indian Territory did not change much from 1865 to 1900, but the non- Indian populations soon outnumbered the Indian populations six to one (Baird and Goble, p 126). Lane – Pomeroy Plan pushed by the Kansas representatives, James Lane and Samuel Pomeroy, to pressure the Federal government to remove more Indians to Indian Territory (Baird and Goble, p 131). The Homesteading movement increased pressure to relocate Indians to Indian Territory to open up more lands in surrounding states for settlement. Upwards to 15,000 Indians were relocated to Indian Territory during the Second Trail of Tears (Baird and Goble, p 131). The increased diversity between Indian tribes and the growing non-Indian population created a tension for Indians to maintain control of Indian Territory, which grew worse as the territory edged closer to statehood.

However, while few Indian tribes went peacefully, majority of the tribes resisted the removal policy. Additionally, government agents were authorized to negotiate and enforce treaties. Therefore, during the fall and winter of 1838 and 1839, the Cherokee natives were removed forcibly to the west by the government. As a

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 book "The Trail of Tears: The Rise and fall of the Cherokee Nation," by John Ehle presents the full history of a Native American democratic state, the Cherokee Nation. Like the United States, it was born in bloodshed, but instead of enduring, it grew for only a few years and then was destroyed by President Andrew Jackson and the government of the state of Georgia. Ehle includes a great deal of primary sources, such as letters, journal excerpts, military orders, and the like, that serve to enrich the story.

In 1835, the Treaty of Echota was negotiated by President Jackson and Major Ridge along with self-appointed representatives of the Cherokee Nation (History). These representatives of the Cherokee Nation were known as the Treaty Party and totaled about 100 people. The council of the Cherokee Nation had previously passed a law that stated that anyone who gave up their ancestral land would be put to death. So by signing this treaty, most of the Treaty Party would be put to death upon arrival to their new land (“A Brief History”).

A circle represents connection, continuity and balance to many people, the Cherokee were no exception. The words: “There are foolish people that do not see clearly. They do not see that everything we know is a circle. Truth is a circle Like any other circle, there are different ways to look at it. But there is only one correct way.

The Cherokee tribe is known as one of the earliest and largest Indian tribe in North America. They are federally recognized even today among several states(museum). While they slowly became Americanized by the Europeans who came over to America, some still practice their typical Indian rituals publicly today. Most converted to Christianity and their government in Oklahoma is based off the American government with three branches. One would believe that the Trail of Tears could have completely vanquished these Indians but many made it through the horrendous trial and kept the Indian bloodline going even present day (Conley).

Have you ever heard of the Cherokee Indians? Sure you have! Just as a reminder, they are the biggest tribe, and most known of out of all the Indian tribes there has ever been in the southeast. They are very important to American History and helped shaped us to be the Americans we are today, which is clearly what I 'll be explaining in this paper. Throughout the paper, I 'll tell you everything you need to know about the Cherokee Indians and continue to relate to the thesis.

The law was passed that all Natives had to leave. Cherokees believed even if they stayed they would still have to deal with all the troublesome White neighbors, therefore their best option was to leave. There was nothing they could do because the whites were too powerful as said in doc 5. “It is argued that they can never remain quiet where they are;n that they will always be infested by troublesome whites; and that the states, which lay claim their territory, will always preserve in measures to vex and annoy them.” The Natives didn’t understand why the white people wanted them gone so bad, because the white people tried so hard to change the Natives culture to make them act like the white people. The Natives changed they way they acted, worked, and how they looked. In doc 7 it says “ The Cherokees have been reclaimed from their wild habits. Instead of hunters, they have become the cultivators of the soil instead of wild and ferocious savages, thirsting for blood, they become the mild “citizens.” The Cherokees were really upset, because not only were they leaving what had now become their norm they were also leaving their land which had been passed down through their family. The Cherokees started a petition to the United States asking for them to fulfill their treaty they had made. In doc 9. It says “ Cherokee people used no violence but humbly petitioned the Government of the United States for a fulfillment of treaty