And that is, to remove to the West and join your countrymen, who are already established there. The Army also granted John Ross's request that the Cherokees manage their own removal. Tragically, the story in this lesson is also one of conflict within the Cherokee Nation as it struggled to hold on to its land and its culture in the face of overwhelming force. 2 [June 1972].) The eastern band lost about 300 by smallpox at the close of the civil war. Questions for Map 2 Questions for Photo 1 The second Treaty of Long Island of Holston (July 26, 1781) confirmed previous land cessions and caused the Cherokee to yield additional territory. However, it does not contain the actual text of the treaties. 1. What can you learn from looking at this roadway that you did not learn from the readings? Why do you suppose he moved there? "The original draft is in the handwriting of Thomas Jefferson"--Evans. must be in motion to join their brethren in the far West.. How do you think this road would have looked after hundreds of wagons, and thousands of people, horses, and oxen had passed over it? The U.S. Constitution required that the treaty be ratified by the U.S. Senate. The pink trail is the northern route. Ross, however, had clearly won the passionate support of the majority of the Cherokee nation, and Cherokee resistance to removal continued. Cherokees built gristmills, sawmills, and blacksmith shops. A typical Cherokee settlement had between 30 and 60 such houses and a council house, where general meetings were held and a sacred fire burned. Quapaw
Why? The eviction and forced march, which came to be known as the Trail of Tears, took place during the fall and winter of 183839. Food, medicine, clothing, even coffins for the dead, were in short supply. Divide the class into four groups and have each group research the history of one of the following tribes now living in Oklahoma, making sure that each tribe is covered: Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. The newcomers needed land for settlement, and they sought it by sale, treaty, or force. 2. . We can never forget these homes, but an unbending, iron necessity tells us we must leave them. In what ways does the house demonstrate that Major Ridge was a rich man? Choctaw It consists of two rooms on each floor separated by a central breezeway, now enclosed, and was built in the 1790s by John Ross's grandfather. The trip was especially hard on infants, children, and the elderly. Locate the northern route. John Ross persuaded the council not to approve the treaty. These stories are not told in this lesson plan. What other tribes lived near the Cherokees? Questions for Photo 4 Only the eager settlers with their eyes on the Cherokee lands moved with determination. Well, they walked a long time, you know. This map shows the routes followed west by the Cherokee Nation to reach "Indian Territory," now the state of Oklahoma, in the 1830s. The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail commemorates the removal of the Cherokee and the paths that 17 Cherokee detachments followed westward. John Ross, now Principal Chief, was the voice of the majority opposing any further cessions of land. She ran back into the house before a soldier could catch her and grabbed her [pet] goose and hid it in her apron. The caravan was ready to move out. What difficulties might it present? The defeated tribes sued for peace. Their relations with the Carolina colonies began 150 years later. Give up these lands and go over beyond the great Father of Waters.. 1. Updates? Yet some Cherokees felt that it was futile to fight any longer. Hardly had these differences they been adjusted when the civil war burst upon them. Illinois Confederation I have hunted the deer and turkey here, more than fifty years. At the time of removal in 1838, a few hundred individuals escaped to the mountains and furnished the nucleus for the several thousand Cherokee who were living in western North Carolina in the 21st century. Do you think that was the impression he intended to create? A typical Cherokee town had between 30 and 60 such houses and a council house, where general meetings were held and a sacred fire burned. They got their title from the British. Does the Ross house look like the home of a rich man? Those already in the west, before the removal, were estimated at about 6,000. Feuds and murders rent the tribe as reprisals were made on those who had signed the Treaty of New Echota. Lamentations were pronounced and the Council determined to continue their old constitution and laws in the new land. Did this occur with the treaty of 1835?
United States. If you were a Cherokee, which group do you think you would agree with? . 2. In 1867 and 1870 the Delawares and Shawnee, respectively, numbering together about 1,750, were admitted from Kansas and incorporated with the Nation. What were the effects of the choices made by the groups of Cherokees discussed in the readings? Native Americans first newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix, began publication in February 1828. The following activities will help them apply what they have learned. 3. They have been dragged from their houses, and encamped at the forts and military posts, all over the nation. 2. It is located in the far southeastern corner of Tennessee, near the North Carolina border. The road rose up in front of her in a thunder and came down again, and when it came down all of the people in front of her were gone, including her parents. Two leaders played central roles in the destiny of the Cherokee. Do you think it is an effective appeal? 4. No one knows exactly how many died during the journey. For more information on certified trail sites, and maps and the history of the trail, please visit their website. In 1773 the Cherokee and the Creek had to exchange a portion of their land to relieve the resulting indebtedness, ceding more than two million acres (more than 809,000 hectares) in Georgia through the Treaty of Augusta. Tribal economies were seriously disrupted by British actions. 1. We are few, they are many. Under the Cherokee Constitution, treaties had to be approved by the Cherokee National Council. The Cherokee are probably about as numerous now (1905) as at any period in their history. One who was there reported that "there was a silence and stillness of the voice that betrayed the sadness of the heart." In oral traditions, the speaker often "telescopes" historical time, collapsing one or more generations.
In preparation for Oklahoma statehood (1907), some of that land was allotted to individual tribal members; the rest was opened up to homesteaders, held in trust by the federal government, or allotted to freed slaves. Did it benefit individual Cherokees? Some Cherokee farms grew into small plantations, worked by African slaves. Key: The farm buildings shown in this recent view would not have been there in 1838. They are said to have lost 1,000 warriors in 1739 from smallpox and rum, and they suffered a steady decrease during their wars with the whites, extending from 1760 until after the close of the Revolution.
The territory of the Cherokee was overrun in turn by both armies, and the close of the war found them prostrated. There is but one path of safety, one road to future existence as a Nation. The Wolf clan is the largest and most important. Just as the wagons moved off along the narrow roadway, they heard a sound. . Water was scarce and often contaminated. 2. Both men were powerful speakers and well able to articulate their opposition to the constant pressure from settlers and the federal government to relocate to the west. Our educational mission is to preserve, present, and celebrate the Native cultures of the Americas. They constitute the present eastern band of Cherokee, residing chiefly on the Qualla reservation in Swain and Jackson counties, with several outlying settlements. Three groups left in the summer, traveling from present-day Chattanooga by rail, boat, and wagon, primarily on the water route, but as many as 15,000 people still awaited removal. . People feel bad when they leave Old Nation. Five thousand horses, and 654 wagons, each drawn by 6 horses or mules, went along. Test your knowledge. The Cherokee nation was composed of a confederacy of symbolically red (war) and white (peace) towns. I know we love the graves of our fathers. Southeastern Native American Documents Collection, 1730-1842 5.
2. Title taken from opening lines of text. Relief shown pictorially. Scroll down to the Southeastern Native American Documents Collection which contains primary documents relating to the Cherokee Removal, including the full text of the Treaty of New Echota. Where did some Cherokee hide during their forcible removal in 1838? 3. What was life like for the Cherokee during that period? Why did the majority of the Cherokees oppose the treaty?
LAC ecr 2018-09-26 update LAC knj 2021-01-11 update (1 card) LAC tnb 2021-09-09 update Rives, William Cabell - Joseph Meredith Toner Collection (Library of Congress) - Van Rensselaer, Stephen - Eaton, Amos. Their northern kinsmen, the Iroquois, called them Oyatagerono, inhabitants of the cave country (Hewitt), and the Delawares and connected tribes called them Kittuwa, from the settlement already noted.They seem to be identical with the Rickohockans, who invaded central Virginia in 1658, and with the ancient Talligewi, of Delaware tradition, who were represented to have been driven southward from the upper Ohio River region by the combined forces of the Iroquois and Delawares. They wove baskets, made pottery, and cultivated corn (maize), beans, and squash. Ridge had first made a name for himself opposing a Cherokee proposal for removal in 1807. Both assaults failed, and the tribe retreated in disgrace. United States Serial Set Number 4015 contains the second part of the two-part Eighteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1896-1897. What major rivers did it cross? In many respects, settlement in Indian Territory was even more difficult than negotiating the trail and took more time. In order to obtain it, they were forced to surrender vast tracts of territory in North and South Carolina at the Treaty of DeWitts Corner (May 20, 1777) and the Treaty of Long Island of Holston (July 20, 1777). The full moon of May is already on the wane, and before another shall have passed away, every Cherokee man, woman and child . When the main body of the tribe was removed to the west, several hundred fugitives escaped to the mountains, where they lived as refugees for a time, until, in 1842, through the efforts of William H. Thomas, an influential trader, they received permission to remain on lands set apart for their use in western North Carolina. (Adapted from Sam Bowers Hilliard, "Indian Land Cessions" [detail], Map Supplement 16, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. https://www.loc.gov/item/99446145/. 
The. Removal had become inevitable. Removal was implemented by 7,000 troops commanded by General Winfield Scott. It was signed into law on May 23.
Corrections? Bitter hostility between the supporters of John Ross and those of the Treaty Party continued after the Cherokees established themselves in Indian Territory.
It also promotes a greater awareness of the Trail's legacy and the effects of the United States' policy of American Indian removal not only on the Cherokee, but also on other tribes, primarily the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. Georgia held lotteries to give Cherokee land and gold rights to whites. 3. They sometimes also called themselves Ani-Y-wiy, real people, or Ani-Ktuhwag, people of Kituhwa, one of their most important ancient settlements. Have one represent John Ross and the other Major Ridge and his allies. In spite of warnings to troops to treat them kindly, the roundup proved harrowing. Ultimately, the federal government was unwilling or unable to protect the Indians from the insatiable demands of the settlers for more land. The Digital Library of Georgia is a University System of Georgia initiative.
[S.l, 1884] Map.
4. Questions for Reading 3 Activity 2: Ridge vs. Ross 3, 1906: the Indian lands were divided, and the Cherokee Indians, native adopted, became citizens of the United States. With the exception of an estimate in 1730, which placed them at about 20,000, most of those up to a recent period gave them 12,000 or 14,000, and in 1758 they were computed at only 7,500. The majority of the earlier estimates are probably too low, as the Cherokee occupied so extensive a territory that only a part of them came in contact with the whites. Why was Ridge in favor of the treaty? Each side--the Treaty Party and Ross's supporters--accused the other of working for personal financial gain. Introductory reports signed: Amos Eaton. Why do you think the U.S. Army might have located a camp here?
Read John Ross's letter to Congress carefully. The two one-story wings were added in the 20th century. How does it compare with the other main routes? 
What points does Major Ridge make in his speech to the tribal council? One day they walked down a deep icy gulch and my grandmother could see down below her a long white road. Others spoke out on the dangers of Cherokee participation in Christian churches, and schools, and predicted an end to traditional practices. A white-haired old man, Chief Going Snake, led the way on his pony, followed by a group of young men on horseback. Twenty men, none of them elected officials of the tribe, signed the treaty, ceding all Cherokee territory east of the Mississippi to the U.S. in exchange for $5 million and new homelands in Indian Territory. Historians of the Cherokee removal are equally divided in their appraisals of the two men. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. The Cherokees rapid acquisition of settler culture did not protect them against the land hunger of those they emulated. Early Records of Londonderry, Windham, and Derry, N.H. What do you think would have been the worst part of the entire removal process? Although Congress had allocated funds for the operation, it was badly mismanaged, and inadequate food supplies, shelter, and clothing led to terrible suffering, especially after frigid weather arrived. 3. Do you think the story was intended as factual history? Chickasaw Your peculiar customs, which regulated your intercourse with one another, have been abrogated by the great political community among which you live; and you are now subject to the same laws which govern the other citizens of Georgia and Alabama. The wagons were lined up. Under Chief Junaluska they aided Andrew Jackson against the Creek in the Creek War, particularly in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Creek Facts abundantly disprove this opinion. If not, what was it intended to record? This illustration shows the homestead of Lying Fish, located in a relatively remote valley in northern Georgia. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [S.l, 1884] Map. He continued to negotiate with the federal government, trying to strike a better bargain for the Cherokee people. National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). Download the official NPS app before your next visit, In 1987, Congress established the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, which is administered by the National Park Service, in partnership with other federal agencies, state and local agencies, non-profit organizations, and private landowners. What did they do to protect Cherokee culture? The Georgians have shown a grasping spirit lately; they have extended their laws, to which we are unaccustomed, which harass our braves and make the children suffer and cry. In 1720 were estimated to have been reduced to about 10,000, and again in the same year reported at about 11,500, including about 3,800 warriors 3 In 1729 they were estimated at 20,000, with at least 6,000 warriors and 64 towns and villages 4. 
2. These men organized themselves into a Treaty Party within the Cherokee community. A written constitution was adopted, and religious literature flourished, including translations from the Christian Scriptures. Diseases raged through the camps. Georgia officials ignored the courts decision, President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce it, and Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 to facilitate the eviction of tribal members from their homes and territory. Federal troops and state militias began to move the Cherokees into stockades. Available also through the Library of Congress web site as a raster image. There were also living in the nation about 3,000 adopted black freedmen, more than 2,000 adopted whites, and about 1700 adopted Delaware, Shawnee, and other Indians. At the time of their forcible removal from their homes in 1838, a few hundred Cherokee escaped to the mountains and furnished the nucleus for the several thousand Cherokee who live in western North Carolina. Take this quiz. "No. Major Ridge is reported to have said that he was signing his own death warrant. Land in question is cross-referenced with 67 maps so you can see the parcel(s) included in each treaty. Marriage Records of Shelby County, Alabama 1824-1905. " Divide students into two groups. 3. 1:2,250,000. Even as Major Ridge and John Ross were planning for the future of New Echota and an educated, well-governed tribe, the state of Georgia increased its pressure on the federal government to release Cherokee lands for white settlement. Omissions? What modern states are included within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation? The Cherokee were only one of the many tribes forced to relocate from their homes and travel to a strange land. When she had bread, she would dip a little in water and slip it to the goose in her apron. A voluntary relocation plan was enacted into law in 1824 and some Indians chose to move west. 1747. Osage Do you think this strengthens his argument? Although land sales to private companies violated British law, the treaty nevertheless became the basis for the colonial settlement of that area. Thomas Jefferson suggested that the eastern American Indians might be induced to relocate to the new territory voluntarily, to live in peace without interference from whites. Why or why not? Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. How did the Cherokee people live before European colonization? Note that the written permission of the copyright owners and/or other rights holders (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. At the height of their prosperity gold was discovered near the present Dahlonega, Georgia, within the limits of the Cherokee Nation, and at once a powerful agitation was begun for the removal of the Indians. Tribal governments were effectively dissolved in 1906 but have continued to exist in a limited form. Their name is derived from a Creek word meaning people of different speech; many prefer to be known as Keetoowah or Tsalagi.
By 1832, Major Ridge, his son John, and nephews Elias Boudinot and Stand Watie had concluded that incursions on Cherokee lands had become so severe, and abandonment by the federal government so certain, that moving was the only way to survive as a nation. In the early 1830s, Lying Fish's homestead included a 16 by 14 foot log house with a wooden chimney, another house of the same size, a corn crib, a stable, 19 acres of cleared bottom land, of which six were on the creek, 30 peach trees and 3 apple trees. Yet they are strong and we are weak. "1 Elucidation of a Convention, September 11, 1807, Disbursements to Cherokees under the Treaty of May 6, 1828, The Cherokee Who Invented the Cherokee Alphabet, Cherokee Proposals for Cession of their Land, Eastern Band of Cherokee Historical Outline, Act of Union between Eastern and Western Cherokee, 1838, Native Uprisings Against the Carolinas (1711-17), Free US Indian Census Schedules 1885-1940, 1898-1899Eastern Cherokee Indian Agency Census, 1904Eastern Cherokee Indian Agency Census, 1906Eastern Cherokee Indian Agency Census, 1909-1912Eastern Cherokee Indian Agency Census, 1914Eastern Cherokee Indian Agency Census, 1915-1922Eastern Cherokee Indian Agency Census, 1923-1929Eastern Cherokee Indian Agency Census, 1930-1932Eastern Cherokee Indian Agency Census, 1933-1939Eastern Cherokee Indian Agency Census, The Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, 1892-2008 Quincy High School Yearbooks Golden Rod, 1931-2008 North Quincy High School Yearbooks The Manet, FamilySearch United States Census Records, 1914 Plymouth County, Iowa, Atlas and farm directory. What advantages and what disadvantages might the northern route have? Some settlers did not wait for approval. There are many historic resources there relating to the Trail of Tears and the history of the Cherokee Nation. Subscribe to this website and receive notification each time a free genealogy resource is newly published. There was no holding back the tide of Georgians, Carolinians, Virginians, and Alabamians seeking instant wealth. When my grandmother and her parents were in the middle of the road, a great black snake started hissing down the river, roaring toward the Cherokees.
