Cherokee
Cherokee was a Native American nation.
Contents
History
The Cherokee nation settled along the Keowee.
While there was not necessarily a centralized leadership in the Cherokee nation, most tribes maintained close relations with the British.
Joined with the colony of South Carolina in the Yammassee War
Attakullakulla travelled to London to sign the Treaty of Whitehall, formally ceding suzerainty to Britain
Joined with the British in the French and Indian War
Maintaining relations with the U.S. thereafter was challenging, however. Tsiyu Gansini (alt. Dragging Canoe) led the Cherokee through the American Revolutionary War (joined with the British), the Cherokee War in 1786, the Cherokee-Franklin War in 1788, and the Battle of the Wabash in 1791. These notable outbreaks of warfare, as well as the decades of quiet violence between them, are sometimes known as the Cherokee-American Wars.
With that said, the Cherokee did join with the U.S. in the Red Stick War.
The nation fragmented over voluntary removal. Those that left migrated into territories purchased from the Osage nation.
Those that remained attempted to establish a constitutional republic, mirroring the design of the United States itself. Under Lumpkin, Georgia established laws excluding Native Americans from rights to contract, own property, and testify in court. Despite a series of legal rulings in their favor (Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, Worcester v. Georgia, etc.), Jackson allowed the Georgian state government to continue.
Van Buren charged Scott with the forced removal of the nation to Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears.
Composition
There are currently three federally recognized tribes which are counted as being part of the Cherokee nation:
- Cherokee Nation
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
- United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians