The Removal of the Cherokee
The Cherokee Nation was first officially
recognized by the United States government
in 1785 with the ratification of the
Hopewell Treaty. The treaty laid out the
boundaries of the Nation and guaranteed the
Cherokee the protection of the federal
government.
Hopewell Treaty. November 28, 1785
The Cherokee Removal
In 1802, President Thomas
Jefferson signs an agreement
with Georgia where Georgia
gave up its claims for western
territory in exchange for the
federal government’s promise
to eventually remove the
Indians (mostly Cherokee &
Creek) from Georgia as long
as Georgia paid for the lands
through peaceful treaty terms.
The Cherokee Removal
In an effort to stay within Georgia, many of
the Cherokee attempted to assimilate
American culture and religion. This meant
learning “white ways”, the English language,
converting to Christianity, and copying the
type of government the United States had.
Many of the Cherokee who were for
assimilation were “mixed bloods” –
Cherokees who had both Indian and
European parents or ancestors.
The Cherokee Removal
Assimilation activity
 Write down a description of the candy in
front of you. What does it look like, feel like,
smell like? How is the candy different from
you.
Put the candy in your mouth but don’t eat it.
Is it still candy?
Go ahead an eat the candy. Now is it still
candy? If it’s not candy anymore, what
exactly is it?
The Cherokee Removal
 What does assimilation mean?
 What happens to something when it becomes
assimilated?
 What happens to a person if he or she becomes
assimilated?
 What were the consequences to the Cherokee if
they did not assimilate?
 What arguments do you think the Cherokee had
amongst themselves about assimilation?
 Were the Cherokee Americans in the eyes of the
US government and the state of Georgia?
The Cherokee Removal
Major John Ridge, a Cherokee chief, and his
nephew, Elias Boudinot (co-founder of the
Phoenix newspaper) were both in favor of
assimilation.
Elias Boudinot
Major John Ridge
The Cherokee Removal
One of the features of assimilation meant
that the Cherokee would have to adopt
“white methods” of farming. In the South,
this often meant plantations. The Cherokee
increased the number of slaves they held
and a few started living in the same manner
as wealthy white planters.
The Cherokee Removal
James Vann, a Cherokee, owned about 200 slaves
and hundreds of acres of farm ground
The Cherokee Removal
Only about 8% of the Cherokee owned slaves,
most of the slave holders were “mixed-blood”
About 17% of the Cherokee had some white
ancestry.
About 60% of the Cherokee households had at
least one literate member.
In 1821, the Cherokee had their own written
language, the first tribe in the US to do so.
The Cherokee Removal
By 1828, the Cherokee denied citizenship rights to
any blacks living in the nation.
By 1822, the Cherokee had created a National
Superior Court modeled after the US Supreme
Court.
By 1827, the Cherokee had created a Constitution,
modeled after the US Constitution
By 1835, less than 10% of the Cherokee had
converted to Christianity.
How assimilated had the Cherokee become?
The Cherokee Removal
Why did Georgians want the Cherokee lands?
It was good fertile ground for farming.
They did not want the Cherokee to have an
independent nation within their borders
Some of the Cherokee land was rich with gold.
The first gold mines were opened in 1829.
There were northern missionaries on the Cherokee
lands who preached against slavery – a fact that
greatly upset most Georgians.
Why was it ok for Georgia to take Cherokee land
from the Cherokee but not ok to take it from other
people?
The Cherokee Removal
In 1828, Andrew Jackson
was elected President.
Although the Cherokee had
helped Jackson win an
important battle against
Creek Indians in 1814,
Jackson was determined to
move the Cherokee to the
Oklahoma Territory. In 1830,
he got Congress to pass the
Indian Removal Act.
The Cherokee Removal
In 1832, the Supreme Court ruled in
Worcester vs. Georgia, that the state of
Georgia could not enforce its laws on the
Cherokee, only the federal government
could. President Jackson chose to ignore the
ruling and refused to provide federal
protection for the Cherokee who were at the
mercy of the Georgia Guard (army).
The Cherokee Removal
Also in 1832, Georgia decided to have a lottery for
the Cherokee lands. The Cherokee lands were
divided up into either 160 acres if no gold was
thought to be on the land or 40 acres if gold was
thought to be present. Georgians were then given
the opportunity to draw a lottery ticket to see if
they “won” Cherokee land.
Georgia map before the lottery
New Georgia counties created by the Cherokee lands
Map after the lottery
The Cherokee Removal
In 1835, the US government proposed to
buy the Cherokee lands in Georgia from the
Cherokee for five million dollars. The
majority of the Cherokee, led by Chief John
Ross, wanted to stay and refused to sign the
Treaty of New Echota. Major Ridge, his
son John, and Elias Boudinot led a minority
group that believed that signing the treaty
and moving west was the only realistic
choice.
The Cherokee Removal
Major Ridge, his son, Elias Boudinot and about
two dozen other prominent Cherokee signed the
treaty. When they did so they thought they were
acting in the best interest of the nation. They also
knew they were violating the Cherokee “blood
law” which made selling land to whites, without
majority support, a crime punishable by death.
What do you think might have happened to
Ridge, his son, and Boudinot?
The Cherokee Removal
John Ross presented a
petition to the US
government of 16,000
signatures (out of
17,000 that lived in
the Nation) stating that
they opposed both the
treaty and removal.
Major Ridge pointed
out that almost all of
the “signatures” were
“Xs” and could have
been faked.
The Cherokee Removal
In 1838 and 1839, the removal of the
Cherokee along with other Southeastern
Indians occurred. Approximately 17,000
Cherokee made the trip with at least 4,000
dying from exposure, disease, and
starvation on the trip.
The Trail of Tears
Many Trails of Tears
The Cherokee in the
Oklahoma Territory
Qualla Boundary – Present Day
Cherokee, NC