Relationship Between The United States And The Cherokee Indians

The Cherokees were natives to the new land before the europeans came to colonized it.

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

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.

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.

When Europeans first arrived to America, Indians were living in eight present states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, the Virginias, Alabama, and the Carolinas (Museum). Slowly, the Cherokee were forced to sign treaties giving away land to the new nation. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson finally worked to pass a treaty that would force all Indians west of the Mississippi River. It wasn’t until Andrew Jackson

The Cherokee are a culturally rich and interesting tribe. They write amazing myths, focusing on creation and nature. In its prime, the Cherokee nation spanned over an estimated 100,000 miles. The people in it respected the universe. They only took from the what was needed from the environment. They were a peaceful tribe that knew very well how the land around them worked.

The European settlers thirsted for more land and aggressively took over the land Native Americans had been cultivating for years; therefore, causing the Indians to feel betrayed. “The United States took a more realistic approach when it passed the Northwest Ordinance in 1787, recognizing that tribes did have rights to their lands, and that U.S. purchase of tribal lands must be done through formal treaties. Ratification of the federal constitution in 1789 further streamlined Indian affairs by investing the new central government--rather than the states--with all treaty-making powers” (Relations Between Indians and U.S. Citizens). The colonists created the Northwest Ordinance in 1787 in order to seem proper in regards to stealing Ohio from

Since neither the United States nor Native Americans would give up their goals, the government of United States figured that to win Native Americans and get all they wanted, government needed to spend lots of money and time. The United States tried to figure out a peaceful way to communicate with Native Americans. The new workable system fell to President George Washington’s first Secretary of War Henry Knox (p. 10).Henry Knox brought a new relation between Americans and Native Americans. Knox and Washington believed that the “uncivilized” Indian life was based on them not knowing better. On the other hand, their inferiority was cultural not racial (p. 11). In 1791 they announced the Cherokees may be led to a greater civilized society instead of remaining hunters. So women started to weave cloth, these Cherokee planters became rich, and the first law established in 1808 was about preventing the theft horses, also Cherokees invented a system for writing the Cherokee language.

When the british first came to america, they realised they were not the only ones there. Native americans have been here from the beginning. Once the british started colonising, Native Americans realised that they had to defend their land. Years later, during the building of the transcontinental railroad, Native Americans were again forced to defend their land. During the building of the railroad, the government made a treaty to Native Americans saying that railroad surveyor would not go onto Native AMerican land. After this treaty was put into place, one company in charge of building the railroad sent a surveyor to plan the railroad. This person went throught the unceded Native American land (Doc 2) to find a path to

die. The Red Chief was also in charge of the lacrosse games which were called

After defeating the French, the British inherited their land in North America, along with some of their Caribbean Islands. (Doc. A) Although the Britain eliminated the French threat in North America, Britain now had an increased amount of land to protect and govern because the victory encouraged more colonists to settle in the new land. The former French territory was sparsely inhabited, but soon the influx of American colonists would clash with Native Americans who populated the area. The new land that the British gained was very abundant in resources, filled with animals for hunting and trapping, and home to rivers and lakes with a copious amount of fish. This allowed for growth in their economy due to the new industries. As Canassatego explained, the Iroquois were upset that white people were taking advantage of them. They were losing control of their land, and the power was no longer in their hands. The Iroquois didn't understand what gave the whites the right to take over their land. Document B explains how the Indians did not just want the land because it was theirs, but they needed it to sustain

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.

What were the significant treaties, policies, and events that defined US Government and Native American Relations? How did the Native American respond to these treaties, polices, and events historically? How did these treaties, policies, and events affect the subsistence, religion, political, and social structures of the Native American people? I will answer these questions through the examination of two centuries of US history in six time periods that define clear changes in the relationship between the Native American and the US Government.

Most of us have learnt about the Trail of Tears as an event in American history, but not many of us have ever explored why the removal of the Indians to the West was more than an issue of mere land ownership. Here, the meaning and importance of land to the original Cherokee Nation of the Southeastern United States is investigated. American land was seen as a way for white settlers to profit, but the Cherokee held the land within their hearts. Their removal meant much more to them than just the loss of a material world. Historical events, documentations by the Cherokee, and maps showing the loss of Cherokee land work together to give a true Cherokee