Cherokee Survival in Early America free essay sample

Cherokee Indians history states that they were natives in the New World. They experienced years of surviving great historical events which began with Western hemisphere explorers coming to the New World bringing sickness, cultural change, and repeatedly invading the native American lands, along with the many wars they were fought in against various factions. Some archaeological evidence indicates that the Cherokee Indians may have come from Mesospheric and migrated to the north toward the Great Lakes of Michigan. It is believed that after having conflicts with in New York and Delaware tribes, they moved southeast to the Appalachian Mountains breading out thru the Carolinas, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. In the early sasss they experienced an outbreak of smallpox decreasing the tribes size Cherokee. In the later years of the 18th century the Cherokee Indians fought side by side with British government against the French in the American Revolutionary War. Soon after the war the Cherokee signed a peace treaty with the U.S. Which gave the Indians rights to their land and to their cultural beliefs. Over time the Lignite States ceded more and more of the Indians territory causing a migration of 3000 tribe embers to migrant to the Mississippi, becoming the Western Band of Cherokee Indians. In 1819 Georgia appealed the united States to remove the Cherokee from their lands in Georgia, as attempts were made the Indians retaliated with the punishment of death. In 1828 Georgia outlawed the Indians government to cede their lands.The Cherokee appealed for protection from the United States but was denied by President Andrew Jackson, under his Indian Removal Act in 1830 which gave the Indians 2 years to move out of Indian Territories in Georgia. Most opposed the idea of moving but 500 Cherokee chiefs agreed to give Georgia back their land for exchange of and for Indian Territory in Oklahoma known has the Treaty of New Echoed, 1835. Those who didnt approval of Treaty of New Echoed remained on Georgians land soon to be assassinated. Three years later thousands of federal troops came in and forced the Cherokee to relocate west to Oklahoma.Some avoiding forced removal escaped to North Carolina in the Mountains, bought land and blended in with the settlers, where they will soon bec ome the East band of Cherokee Indians. The remaining captured Indians including the Western band in Mississippi were marched west in the winter to Indian Territory of Oklahoma. This forced movement of the Indians was the beginning of the Trail of Tears Cherokee. The Trail of Tears consisted of the removal of many tribes the Cherokee, Creeks, Choctaws, Seminole and Chickasaws. The Cherokees were the last removal and suffered the most as their tribe was the largest in members.Georgia sent in their own military to run the Cherokee off their land destroying their village by ruining crops and burning their homes. Federal troops came in to control the Georgia military and round up the Cherokee to move them to camps along their journey. Soon disease spread thru the amps killing many, other ill Indians tried to make the trip, eventually the Cherokee and lost a fourth of their 14,000 member tribe (House 639-40). After the Cherokee Chief John Roses group reached their new home in Indian Territory in 1839 the Cherokees were exhausted and dispirited.Their first challenge was trying to settle in with the prior Indian settlements the Ross group noticed that the best lands for farming had been claimed. The new land was full of hills and was hard to till. The rivers were strong and flooded the area and washed out the crops. Summers brought drought and plagues of grasshoppers taking out remaining crops. The Ross group tried to merge with the other groups the Treaty Party and the Old Settlers, who voluntarily left before the forced removal. Under the New Echoed Treaty the United States was to provide rations for a year as Indians arrived with little animals and farming equipment. Rations of meat, grain, and salt were provided by contractors that the United States bayed by bidding on ration cost to feed the Indians. Distribution came in long periods of months where some went without for days. Some lived in tents and couldnt keep food fresh long enough from spoiling. Government officials werent always present to account or the amount of rations provided to the Indian and contractors would take advantage on providing low quality and quantity of food and still take their tickets to get paid.The poor families would come early in the mornings and camp out at the distribution site to get the first rations before the wealthier families arrived. Soon the Western Band Cherokees would clash with earlier settlers. John Brown the old settlers chief welcomed in the new emigrant and wanted them to follow his current government until a new election. Chief John Ross wanted all members to unite under the Eastern Cherokee overspent because it had a written constitution and detailed law of code. Ross was worried the old settlers were use to the ways of the New Echoed Treaty.He didnt want the old settlers to oversee the funds for the emigrants that would pay for removal, loss and claimed property and he wanted to renegotiate them. Most of the old settlers agreed for the Eastern government to proceed with negotiations. Later the issues of government between the three groups threatened a divide into two nations, National Party vs.. The Treaty party. The National party had a group of men gather to decide the fate f the Treaty Party as the Cherokee seen these people as traitors for signing the New Echoed Treaty for selling their land.Assumed lists of names of traitors were written down to punish those who should suffer by death. A meeting was called on July 1st to settle the peoples choice of government and at that meeting the National Party pardoned all parties in the murders of the Treaty Party. The Treaty Party was not excepting the governments ways and caused chaos for many of years rebelling John Ross came into the settlement and took over. Later seeking help from Washington protesting against JohnRoses ways Washington stepped in and cutoff the all funds to the Indians causing failure to survive and seeking for credit to buy necessities, charging up debt. For years Ross tried renegotiating the New Echoed Treaty to help his people get what they were owed to get settled. Finally the treated was resigned allowing the Indians to get money to pay off debts and start their new united nation. (Purdue and Green 141- 61) The Cherokee Nation blossomed adopting a new constitution. They built a new capital called Tattletale that was also the center of their business and park Hill which was cultural Oasis.They brought many of their cultural aspects with them their democratic government, religion, education and their trades. Producing their new bilingual publications in the territory called the Cherokee Advocate and the Cherokee Messenger that were written in Cherokee syllables. The syllables was developed by a mixed breed and uneducated Indian who wanted to do something to help his people named Sequoias. Sequoias developed a system for the uneducated Indians to be able to read and write that consist of 86 symbols that represent specific sounds that is the Cherokee engage.House 106 08) Among the conflict on the Indian Territory about who supported and opposed the removal in year earlier years the Civil War helped the cause a divide among the Five Civilized Tribes. Most supported the south due to transportation and trade the Seminole supported the north. Federal troops stayed away from the Indian Territory but the Confederates took advantage of the Indians and signed alliance treaties with most of them. Treaties that stated the Indians would fight on them and confederates would help protect the Indians and give them representation in the Congress.The Indians would soon build three regiments to fight with the Confederates, later one joined as Ross followers. Then another was formed as anti-Ross followers supporting the Union. As the Confederates and the union fought back and forth so did the Indians changing sides, voiding their treaties with the Confederates and joining the Union. Invading their home own home fighting amongst their selves destroying everything. Eventually the Indian Territory was filled with Confederate and Union deserters. Gangs formed causing more chaos and bringing violence, burning homes, schools and businesses.