Movements West
- Early 19th century; White encroachment of South East leads some Cherokee to move westward
- A group know as "The Old Settlers" move to land allotted to them (by the federal government) in Arkansas
- They would later be moved further west as part of the Indian Removal Act
- Indian Removal Act of 1830
- Signed by President Andrew Jackson, May 26, 1830
- Tensions in the South (particularly Georgia) between Whites and Indians had reached insurmountable levels
- Signing of the treaty of New Echota by a minority of Cherokees legitimized the removal of the tribe for the U.S.
- Most Cherokees contested treaty
- Cherokee were to be relocated to "Indian Territory" in presen day Oklahoma
- By 1838 nearly 20,000 Cherokees had been displaced
- Trail of Tears
- An estimated 4,000 Cherokees died in the journey west. Contributors to death included hunger, exposure and disease
- Journey lasted more than 1,000 miles
A New Beginning
- In Oklahoma, Cherokee develop a new Democratic form of government and society
- Construction of new territory included churches, schools, buisnesses and a newspaper
- Newspaper; Cherokee Advocate established and printed in both English and Cherokee
- Became first newspaper available in a Native American language
- Tahlequah established as capitol of Cherokee Nation
- Civil War
- Cherokee were persuaded at one point to side with the Confederacy
- As a result, after the war more territory is taken from them
- Remaining land was then divided into allotments and distributed to individuals registered with the US census as compiled by the Dawe's Commission
Today
- Cherokee Nation is the second largest Native American tribe in the United States
- Contains over 200,000 tribal members
- 70,000 of which reside in Cherokee Nation proper located in North Eastern Oklahoma
- The area is not considered a reservation but a "jurisdictional service area"
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