Oakland Unified School District
District Assessment
8th Grade U.S. History
Fall Semester, 2009 – 2010
Question:
“By 1838, which would have been better for the Cherokee Indians: to finally
accept or to continue to resist the U.S. government’s demand they move to new
tribal lands west of the Mississippi River?"
Major Ridge of the
Cherokee
U.S. President Andrew
Jackson
Chief John Ross of the
Cherokee
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #1
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Introduction to this assessment:
In the 1830s the United States government followed a policy of Indian Removal.
What this meant was the United States, through treaties and other actions, tried
to remove all the Indian tribes from the states east of the Mississippi River to
territory west of the river. The Cherokee were one of the tribes that were forced
to decide how they would respond to this policy. The story of what happened to
the Cherokee provides a "case study" of what happened among the Indian tribes,
the United States government, and the white settlers who moved west from the
original thirteen states.
In parts I, II, & III you will read and work with information from both secondary
and primary sources. You will learn about what led up to the government's
demand that the Cherokee leave their land in Georgia, the situation of the
Cherokee in Georgia at the time of the demand, and how the Cherokee
responded.
Your tasks in this study are to understand what happened to the Cherokee and
how they debated among themselves about how to respond to the government’s
demand that they leave their traditional lands and move west. You will then
need to think about which decision might have been best for the Cherokee. Did
those who finally accepted the government demand of removal make the best
decision? Or, did those who argued for continued resistance make the best
decision?
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #2
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Part I – Background information - Read the following passages and respond to
the questions that follow each section.
A Brief Narrative of the events leading up to the government’s demand the
Cherokee leave their traditional land and move to the West.1
The southern states (see below) were home to the Indian peoples that the whites
called the "Five Civilized Tribes." One of these tribes, the Cherokee, lived on some of
Georgia's richest farm land and white settlers wanted the Cherokee’s land for their
own use. In addition to being good farmland, gold was discovered on Cherokee land
in 1829, drawing many white settlers into the region. Most of these white settlers
were prejudiced toward American Indians.
Southern States as of 1839
Previously, the Cherokee had responded to the westward movement of settlers
by trying to fit in with the new ideas and culture the settlers brought with them.
In fact, no other Indian people had ever so successfully adopted the white man's
ways. They built sawmills and factories for weaving cloth; they built public
schools, and they built miles of good roads. Many Cherokee had intermarried
with whites. They had their own constitution and courts, their own language,
and their own newspaper. Some even owned large plantations worked by black
slaves. But this did not make a difference to the Georgians who wanted their
land. Cherokee were denied many rights. Cherokee land titles were declared
illegal. Cherokee were forbidden to testify against whites. They were even
forbidden to dig for gold on their own land.
1sources:
The West: An Illustrated History, Geoffrey C. Ward (Little, Brown, and Company, 1996).
Selected Case Studies in American History: Volume 1, California State Series, 1972.
The New American Nation, Marlene Smith-Barzini and Howard Egger-Bovet (Little, Brown, and
Company, 1995).
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #3
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Reflection Questions:
1. Why did the white settlers want to take over the Cherokee's land? Provide at
least two reasons.
1) The Cherokee farmland was some of the richest in Georgia and they wanted to
farm it for themselves
2) Gold was discovered on the Cherokee’s land .
2. How had the Cherokees adapted to living close to the white settlers? Why do
you think they responded in this way?
They tried to fit into the new culture brought by by the settlers. They adopted
new kinds of work, such as farming and industry, as well as new kinds of
government through a new Constitution and laws.
Possible answer for why – They responded this way because they saw that their
traditional ways of living would clash with the settlers and they wanted to
appear to the settlers as a “modern” people. Possibly, they saw this adaptation as
a means of survival for the tribe.
The Cherokee, living on 40,000 acres in the heart of Georgia, tried to resist
this loss of their land by legal means. Led by Principal Chief John Ross, they
took their case to the U.S. Supreme Court - and won a limited victory. Chief
Justice John Marshall said that the Indians were subject to the laws of the
United States as a nation, which was responsible for protecting their rights.
They were not, he said, subject to the laws of individual states in the nation. In
other words, according to John Marshall, individual states could not make their
own laws concerning the Indian people within their borders. Marshall ruled that
Georgia could not make laws that simply took away the Cherokee's land.
Marshall summed up his position in this way, “The Cherokee nation, then is a
distinct community, occupying its own territory…in which the laws of Georgia
can have no force, and the citizens of Georgia have no right to enter, but with the
assent [agreement] of the Cherokees themselves…”
3. Why do you think Chief John Ross took his case to the Supreme Court?
He took his case to the Supreme Court because he thought that the laws of the
United States might be used to protect the Cherokee land;
4. In your own words, summarize the Supreme Court/John Marshall’s ruling
about the state of Georgia and the Cherokee nation.
The Supreme Court ruling in this case stated that the state of Georgia could not
make laws taking away Cherokee land.
But President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce the Supreme Court
ruling. He famously said, “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him
enforce it.” Jackson believed that the Cherokee were in the way of American
expansion and “progress.” In addition, the settlers who wanted their land were
the voters who had elected Jackson to office and he wished to keep their support.
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #4
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
(In this instance “Jacksonian Democracy” only worked for the white settlers.) No
matter how hard the Cherokee tried to make their civilization match the whites
who surrounded them, they would still have to move. On May 28, 1830 President
Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. It gave him the power to make new
treaties with all the tribes east of the Mississippi. These treaties were written to
force the tribes to give up their lands in the East for new lands in the West.
5. Why did President Andrew Jackson refuse to accept and enforce the Supreme
Court/John Marshall’s ruling?
Jackson refused to enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling because he believed that
the Cherokee were in the way of America, getting in the way as it spread across
North America. He also refused to enforce the ruling because the people who
supported and voted for him were the same people who wanted the Cherokee and
other tribes removed.
6. What action did President Jackson take in order to force the tribes to give up
their lands in the East for new lands in the West?
He signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 which gave him the power to make
treaties with Indian tribes that would result in their removal to land west of the
Mississippi River.
Two Choices for the Cherokee
.
These actions of the United States government forced the Cherokee into
making a difficult decision that divided them into two groups.
One group argued that they should not give up the land “of their
ancestors” and continue resisting the demand that they leave. The resistance
ranged from continued efforts to convince government leaders in Washington to
save the Cherokee nation to hiding out in the wilderness areas near the Cherokee
homeland, hoping to avoid capture by the U.S. soldiers.
Other Cherokee, who came to be called the “treaty party,” (which was led
by several members of the Ridge family), came to the conclusion that the longer
they resisted the move, the more the tribe would be hurt. They argued that it
was time to admit defeat, give up their lands, and move west. On December 29,
1835 the leaders of this party signed a treaty ceding [giving up] all of their lands
in exchange for $5 million. Additionally, they were promised that the U.S.
government would honor the title of the Cherokee Nation's new land, and protect
its tribe from future trespasses by white settlers.
After the treaty was signed, 80 percent of the tribe - almost 16,000
Cherokee - said that they did not support the treaty and that John Ridge and his
supporters spoke only for themselves. John Ross argued that the Cherokee who
signed the treaty did not represent the entire Cherokee nation and had no
authority to sign the treaty. He argued that the Cherokee should continue to find
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #5
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
ways to resist removal. The U.S. Senate, after intense debate, ratified [approved]
the treaty by a margin of one vote.
7. Why did Major Ridge and the “treaty party” sign a treaty with the U.S.
government?
They signed because they came to believe that if they attempted to stay they
would ended up losing their land anyway. That they would never be accepted by
the white settlers and faced real physical danger. They thought they may be able
to stay together as a people and start anew on the new land in the West promised
by the government.
8. In your own words, summarize the two choices facing the Cherokee at this
time in American history.
To sign the new treaty with the Federal government, giving up their lands in
Georgia and move to new lands west of the Mississippi, or to continue to resist
the government in an effort to keep their traditional homeland.
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #6
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Time Out to Write:
Based on what you’ve read in the Background Essay and what you’ve
learned through the powerpoint presentation and/or your textbook, summarize
the situation facing the Cherokee in 1838.
In addition, write a brief statement about your thinking at this time (you
may change your mind after reading the source documents) about the assessment
question:
By 1838, which would have been better for the Cherokee Indians: to
finally accept or to continue to resist the U.S. government’s demand they move to
new tribal lands west of the Mississippi River?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #7
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
PART II: Primary Sources – Below are a series of both primary (statements made
by people who were connected to the conflict between the Cherokees and the
United States government) and secondary sources.
Directions: For each source, complete the following tasks:
Column #1 Read the quote and clarify any parts that you do not
understand. Carefully note the author and date of the quote.
Column #2
Using your own words, write a short summary of what the
author of the quote is saying.
Column #3 Circle your choice for the source (accept or resist )and write
your reason (s) for deciding that the quote suggests the
Cherokee should either accept or resist the government’s
demand.
To help you get started and to model how an explanation might read, the work for
primary source #1 has been done. Note that, depending on your viewpoint, this source
(as well as many of the other sources) can be used to argue either side of the debate.
Source #1 – In a letter to the U.S. Government, a Cherokee describes what is happening
to the Cherokee in Georgia
Column #1
Column #2
Column #3
The primary source with author and
date
Short
summary of
what the
author of the
quote is
saying.
What does this quote suggest about
whether the Cherokee should accept or
resist the government's demand that
they move to new tribal lands in the
west.
“You [U.S. Government] asked us to
give up hunting and fighting. We did
so. You asked us to form a republican
government. We did so. We used your
own government as a model. You
asked us to cultivate the earth and
learn the white man’s ways. We did so.
You asked us to learn to read. We did
so. You asked us to worship your God.
We did so.
And what is happening? Our people
are being hunted and thrown out of
their own homes… The State of
Georgia is planning to hold a lottery to
divide the Cherokee lands among
whites.”
- John Ridge, son of Major Ridge, 1832
In this quote
John Ridge is
saying the
Cherokee did
everything the
government
wanted in
order to live
among the
white citizens
of the United
States, but are
still being
thrown out of
their homes.
Sample responses: Both sides can be
argued from this quote.
This quote suggests the Cherokee
should resist the government's demand
because the government can't be trusted
to keep its promises no matter where
the Cherokee go.
Or
This quote suggest the Cherokee should
accept the government's because who
would want to stay where they are
being hurt, and in the west they can go
back to their old ways of living.
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #8
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Source #2 – A Cherokee writes about problems the tribe would face if it left
Georgia and moved to the territory west of the Mississippi River
Column #1
Column #2
Column #3
What does this quote
suggest about whether
Short summary of
the Cherokee should
The primary source with author
what the author
accept or resist the
and date
of the quote is
government's demand
saying.
that they move to new
tribal lands in the west.
We wish to remain on the lands of
This quote suggests the
Being forced to go
our fathers…but if we are
best choice for the
to a new territory
compelled to leave our country, we
Cherokee would be to
would ruin the
see nothing but ruin before us.
accept /resist (circle one)
tribe. The new
The country to which we are told
because…by resisting
land is occupied
to go is unknown to us. All of the
they might avoid being
by other Indians
inviting parts of it are already
sent to a new territory
who would not
occupied by various Indian
where they are not
welcome them
nations, they would regard us as
welcome and where they
and that the
intruders, and look upon us with
couldn’t not farm to
region would not
an evil eye…the greater part of
produce their food and
support
the region is badly supplied with
income.
agriculture,
wood and water; and no Indian
which is how the
tribe can live as agriculturalists
Cherokee
[farmers] without these articles.
produced their
-from Niles Week Register, 38
food.
(August 21, 1839)
Source # 3 – President Jackson advises a Cherokee Chief
Column #1
Column #2
The primary source with author
and date
“It is better for you and your people
to leave Georgia. Contact with the
white men can only bring you
trouble. We will pay you for the land
and give you land in the West. If you
insist on remaining, you will only be
driven off.”
- President Andrew Jackson, to Major
Ridge, a Cherokee Chief, 1832
Column #3
What does this quote
suggest about whether
Short summary of
the Cherokee should
what the author
accept or resist the
of the quote is
government's demand
saying.
that they move to new
tribal lands in the west.
This quote suggests the
best choice for the
Cherokee would be to
accept /resist (circle one)
because…resisting will
not work – it will only
bring trouble to the tribe,
and the government will
pay for the land and
provide land in the West.
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #9
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Source # 4– A report on what happened to other tribes that were moved to the West
Column #1
Column #2
Column #3
The primary source with author
and date
“Widespread were the tales of
hardships and many deaths from
cholera during the removal of other
southeastern tribes…Reports of
cholera in the spring of 1834 reached
the assembly camp of the Cherokees
who had enrolled [agreed] to be
removed [to the lands west of the
Mississippi]."
- from Howard, in The Cherokees: A
Population History. University of
Nebraska Press, 1990
What does this quote
suggest about whether
Short summary of
the Cherokee should
what the author
accept or resist the
of the quote is
government's demand
saying.
that they move to new
tribal lands in the west.
This quote suggests the
best choice for the
The removal
Cherokee would be to
journey of other
accept /resist (circle one)
tribes was a
because… other tribes
terrible ordeal.
suffered greatly will being
Many people died
removed from their homes
from hardship
to Land in the West. They
and disease.
suffered from hardships
and disease.
Source # 5 - A Cherokee Chief talks to members of the Cherokee nation on the
question of leaving or staying in Georgia
Column #1
Column #2
Column #3
The primary source with author
and date
“The white man now wants our lands. I
know the Indians have been put here by
God and they have the right to the land.
But the white men are strong and we are
weak. They are many and we are few.
We cannot remain here in safety. We
love the lands of our fathers. But we
must leave. I would die to keep our
lands, but if we use force, we will lose not
only our lands but our lives and the lives
of our children. There is only one way we
can remain a Nation. Sell the land. Give
up these lands and go over beyond the
Great Father of Waters, the Mississippi
River.”
- Major Ridge, 1835
What does this quote
suggest about whether
Short summary of
the Cherokee should
what the author
accept or resist the
of the quote is
government's demand
saying.
that they move to new
tribal lands in the west.
This quote suggests the
best choice for the
Cherokee would be to
There is no other accept /resist (circle one)
choice, if the tribe because…there is no
wants to survive safety in staying. That
and stay together, not only would the lands
but to give up the be lost but, because lives
lands and accept would be lost, so would
removal.
the lives of future
generations.
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #10
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Source # 6 – A United States general describes what is happening to the Cherokee
in Georgia
Column #1
Column #2
Column #3
Short summary of
what the author of
the quote is saying.
The primary source with
author and date
"If I could...I would remove every
Indian tomorrow, beyond the
reach of the white man, who like
vultures are watching, ready to
pounce upon their prey, and strip
them of everything they have or
expect to have from the
Government. …[N]inety-nine out
of every hundred will go penniless
to the West "
The Indians need to
move because they
will lose everything if
they stay near the
white men.
What does this quote
suggest about whether
the Cherokee should
accept or resist the
government's demand
that they move to new
tribal lands in the west.
This quote suggests the
best choice for the
Cherokee would be to
accept /resist (circle one)
because…by staying near
the white men they are
going to be harmed and
robbed of everything they
have.
-United States General John Ellis
Wool, 1836
- in
http://www.arkansaspreservation.org
/pdf/publications/Cherokee_Removal.
pdf
Source # 7 – John Ross, head Chief of the Cherokee, responds to the signing of
the Treaty of New Echota
Column #1
Column #2
Column #3
What does this quote
suggest about whether
Short summary of
the Cherokee should
The primary source with author
what the author
accept or resist the
and date
of the quote is
government's demand
saying.
that they move to new
tribal lands in the west.
“I must distinctly declare to you that
This quote suggests the
I believe, the document [Treaty of
best choice for the
New Echota] signed by unauthorized
The Cherokee
Cherokee would be to
individuals at Washington, will never
who signed the
accept /resist (circle one)
be regarded by the Cherokee nation
Treaty of New
because…the Treaty that
as a Treaty. The delegation [group]
Echota did not
gave up the Cherokee
chosen by the people to make a
represent
the
land was not supported by
Treaty, have protested that the
majority of the
almost all the Cherokee.
Treaty is… “…deceptive to the world
Cherokee
people.
That it is not a true
and a fraud upon the Cherokee
statement of Cherokee
people…”
beliefs.
- John Ross, head chief of the
Cherokee, 1837
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #11
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Source #8 - This map shows the different routes, by land or water, the Cherokee
might have used to move from Georgia to west of the Mississippi River. The
traveling distance is approximately 850 miles.
Column #1
Column #3
What does this map
suggest about
whether the
Cherokee should
accept or resist the
government's
demand that they
move to new tribal
lands in the west.
This map might be
used in two ways:
1) to support an
argument of
resistance – removal
would be a long and
difficult journey
A map
Location of Cherokee Nation in the 1830s
Or
Location of territory to where the Cherokees would be forced to
migrate.
2) to support an
argument of
acceptance – removal
would place the tribe
a long way from the
white settlers who
had been threatening
them.
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #12
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Part III - Preparing to Write
Use the information gathered in parts I & II to fill in the chart below.
A. If you were to argue that the Cherokee should finally accept removal, what
might be lost and gained from that decision?
Losses
Possible responses:
Gains
Possible responses:







Traditional homeland
Link to the tribe’s past and history
Economic life – same kind of
agriculture may not be possible in
new territory in the West.
Possible conflict with other Indian
tribes in the new territory in the
West
Lives on a difficult journey to the
West


The tribe stays together
Avoids physical harm from the
settlers
New land in the West
Moves far away from the white
settlers
B. If you were to argue that the Cherokee should further resist removal, what
might be lost and gained from that decision?
Losses
Possible responses:
Gains
Possible responses:




Would probably lose the land
anyway
Physical harm from settlers wanting
the land
The federal government would use
force to remove the tribe from its
land


Wouldn’t have to go on difficult trip
to the West
Staying on traditional tribal
homeland
Pride and self-respect
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #13
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Part IV – Writing Assignment
Decide whether the best decision for the Cherokee, would have been to further resist
or to accept removal.
Check the box that represents your judgment:
________
I think that at this point in time, it was best for the Cherokee to finally
accept removal.
________
I think that that at this point in time, it was best for the Cherokee
to further resist removal.
Now that you have made your judgment, your task is to support this decision by
writing an essay that responds to the following question:
“By 1838, which would have been better for the Cherokee Indians: to finally
accept or to continue to resist the U.S. government’s demand they move to
new tribal lands west of the Mississippi River?"
Write a multi-paragraph essay that answers this question. Your answer should
support your opinion with:

information learned in class

evidence from the primary and secondary sources you have read (include
important quotations).

explanations of how the evidence you have chosen supports your thesis (answer)
Avoid merely summarizing the sources.

your response (counterargument) to evidence that could be used to argue for a
different answer.
Use the checklist below to make sure that your essay is well written and complete.
Begin your essay on the following page.
An excellent piece of historical writing contains the following:
___A title that prepares the reader for the specific topic and content of the essay
___A thoughtful, well-developed thesis that clearly identifies your argument
___An introduction that contains the thesis, and maps out (identifies) the major reasons used to support thesis.
___Body paragraphs, each addressing one of your major reasons, which contain a topic sentence (baby thesis)
and supporting evidence, and links back to the argument you make in your introduction
___Use of primary and secondary sources, connection between sources, and explanation of what sources mean
___Counterargument - identification and response to different ideas about how the Cherokee’s response
___Fluid writing, precise language, and organization that move your argument forward
___ A powerful conclusion that summarizes arguments and adds significance
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #14
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Title:
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #15
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #16
Name___________________
Teacher__________________
Name:
School:
Teacher:
Grade:
Period:
_
Date:
OUSD 8th Grade U.S. History / Fall Semester, 2009 / source documents and student writing / short version / possible answers / page #17
Name___________________
Teacher__________________