KEY PLAYERS OF THE INDIAN REMOVAL ACT CHEROKEE

KEY PLAYERS OF THE INDIAN REMOVAL ACT

CHEROKEE • Most advanced tribe of Native Americans who lived in Georgia. • Some lived traditional hunting and farming lifestyles, but many took on the white settlers ways such as adopting Christianity. • Discovery of gold in Dahlonega further led to the demand for the removal. • Lived in the Northwest corner of Georgia • Trail of Tears led them to settling in Oklahoma. “The Showcase of the Cherokee Nation” was the two story mansion of Chief James Vann.

CREEK • Native American nations made up of fourteen tribes (Yamacraw, Yamasee, and Ocmulgee) • Known for their bravery and carrying on the ways of their fathers • Outnumbered European settlers during Georgia’s colonial period. • Sided with English during American Revolution • Civil war broke out among the Creeks; Red Stick War – Red sticks-those who wanted war – White sticks-those who wanted peace

SEQUOYA • Cherokee who created a written language based upon syllables spoken, called a syllabary. • The language was taught to Cherokee throughout. – First Indians to have their own written language – Used in their national newspaper, The Cherokee Phoenix and in creating a Cherokee constitution.

Alexander Mc. Gillivray • Creek Chief who ordered attacks on pioneers in order to protect his tribe, during the Oconee War. • In a peace agreement with Pres. Washington, he signed the Treaty of New York giving up all land east of the Oconee River in exchange for: • Protection • tools and animals • the promise that no whites settlers would not go west Interesting Detail: At the same time as beyond the Oconee River. the Yazoo Land Fraud which was resolved by Georgia giving up land the FEDERAL government agreed to remove all Indians from Georgia.

ANDREW JACKSON • Lawyer and 7 th U. S. President • Was friendly with Native Americans, especially the Cherokee, when he needed help fighting wars. • He fought against the Indians in the War of 1812 • After being elected President, he pushed for the passing of the Indian Removal Act that called for all Native Americans to be relocated to western territories. . Interesting Detail~ This act ignored the Supreme court ruling (Worcester vs. Georgia) that the Cherokee Nations was sovereign. .

WILLIAM MCINTOSH • A plantation owning Creek chief who promoted a lifestyle of farming and slaveholding. • Fought along side Andrew Jackson in the Creek War • He and Georgia’s governor developed the Second Treaty of Indian Springs in which the U. S. paid him $200, 000 to give up the last of Creek land in Georgia. • The other Creeks disagreed with the treaty and brutally murdered him outside his home. Angered his tribesman by constantly siding with the U. S. government including the Red Sticks War.

JOHN MARSHALL • Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who issued the ruling in favor of the Cherokee in Worcester vs. Georgia • This 1832 Supreme Court case upheld the Cherokee Nation’s claim that it was a sovereign nation and thus could not be moved without their consent. Interesting fact: President Andrew Jackson did not enforce the ruling of the Supreme Court, therefore he did not meet his Constitutional requirements as president.

John Ross • Cherokee Chief who fought the Indian Removal Act until 1838 • took a petition with 15, 000 signatures to protest Indian removal (90% were from the Cherokee). • Helped Cherokee take control of their forced expulsion by negotiating a deal with the U. S. government to pay his way to Oklahoma. • Ross’ wife died on the Trail of Tears. • Once in Oklahoma he helped reestablish the Cherokee Nation • Created government buildings • Served as principal chief until his death

Major Ridge • Fought with Jackson in Creek War • In 1835, he joined a minority of Cherokees in signing The Treaty of New Echota that ceded all remaining Cherokee land to the U. S. government. • He moved to Oklahoma where he was ambushed and murdered near his new plantation in Indian Territory. He also adopted the lifestyle of running a plantation and became a political leader for the Creek Nation

TIMELINE You will be provided with a list of dates and events to add to your timeline. You and your partner will use textbook pages 192 – 203 to describe what took place with each event including key people.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN ORDER • • • Treaty of New York (1790) Yazoo Land Fraud (1795) ADD Louisiana Purchase (1803) ADD Land Lottery (1805 - 1833) Sticks/White Sticks/Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1813) Federal Road (1815) ~page 182 or chapter 6, section 3 Created the Syllabary (1820/1821) Treaty of Indian Springs (1821) Second Treaty of Indian Springs (1825) Gold discovered in Dahlonega (1828) Congress passed the Indian Removal Act (1830) • • Worcester vs Georgia (1832) New Echota (1835) Cherokee removed by Trail of Tears (1838) Treaty of Washington (1871) • REMOVE Cherokee created a language

1790 - TREATY OF NEW YORK • Signed by Alexander Mc. Gillivray and George Washington. • Treaty of friendship created between the Creek nation and the United States • Ceded Creek lands east of the Ocmulgee in return for protection, tools and animals, and as long as the U. S. promised to honor the boundaries of the remaining Creek lands west of the Oconee River.

1795 - YAZOO LAND FRAUD • Georgia ceded the land to the U. S. government for 1. 25 million dollars and the promise that the U. S. would relinquish Indian land claims in the state and remove the Creek Indians from Georgia.

1803 - LOUISIANA PURCHASE • In 1803 Thomas Jefferson, the country’s third president, bought the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million. This transaction, which was known as the Louisiana Purchase, doubled the size of the country. The United States now extended west to the Rocky Mountains.

1805 - 1833: LAND LOTTERY • Between 1805 – 1833 the state of Georgia used land lotteries to distribute land taken from the Creek and Cherokee Indians. Additional Information: • 1805, 1807, 1820, 1821, and 1827 lotteries involved Creek lands • 1820 lottery involved Creek and Cherokee land • Two 1832 lotteries and one in 1833 involved Cherokee lands.

1813: THE CREEK WAR • Creek Civil War. • Divided into two groups: – The Red Sticks who wanted war – The White Sticks who did not. • The Red Sticks attacked Fort Mims killing about 400 people. • With help from the White Sticks and Cherokees, General Andrew Jackson defeated the Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend forcing the Creeks to give up their lands (22 million acres) in present day Alabama. Interesting Detail- The Cherokee also fought alongside General Jackson during the American Revolution.

1815 - FEDERAL ROAD • The Old Federal Road was built in 1815 to run from Athens north through Cherokee territory into Tennessee

1820 - CREATION OF THE SYLLABARY • Sequoya created a language based upon syllables spoken, called a syllabary. • The language was taught to Cherokee throughout. – First Indians to have their own written language – Used in their national newspaper, The Cherokee Phoenix and in creating a Cherokee constitution.

1821 - TREATY OF INDIAN SPRINGS • Lower Creek ceded land to the state of Georgia in return for cash payments totaling $200, 000 over a 14 year period.

1825 - SECOND TREATY OF INDIAN SPRINGS • Negotiated by Mc. Intosh. It surrendered all Creek territory east of the Chattahoochee and accepted relocation west of the Mississippi.

1828 - DAHLONEGA GOLD RUSH • The 1829 discovery of gold in the Cherokee Nation inspired a mad rush for the mineral. • Thousands poured into Georgia desperate to find riches, totally ignoring the claims and rights of Cherokee in the area. • Georgia legislature passed a law that placed part of the Cherokee land under state control declaring all Cherokee law null and void. Eventually refused the Cherokee any right to the gold mined in Dahlonega.

1830 - CONGRESS PASSED INDIAN REMOVAL ACT • The Indian Removal Act was passed by Congress on May 28, 1830. The law authorized President Andrew Jackson to negotiate with southern Indian tribes for their removal to federal territory west of the Mississippi River in exchange for their ancestral homelands.

1832 - WORCESTER VS. GEORGIA (INDIANS’ LAST HOPE) • As a protest in behalf of the Indians, Rev. Samuel Worchester and ten other people refused to sign allegiance to Georgia’s governor. • They were arrested and eventually found guilty, but the Governor agreed to pardon anyone who would take an oath of loyalty to the state. • The case was taken to the Supreme Court where Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Cherokee territory was not subject to state law because they were a sovereign nation and Worcester was to be set free. • Everyone, including President Andrew Jackson, refused to honor the ruling.

1835 - NEW ECHOTA • Cherokee trader Major Ridge and a small number of others agreed to sign the government’s treaty. The treaty said the Cherokee would move west, and Georgia would give them a little money and food for the trip.

CREEK CESSION 1733 - 1805 • Treaty of New York signed by Alexander Mc. Gillivray 1814 • War of 1812 • Creek/Red Sticks War • Battle of Horseshoe Bend 1818 - 1832 • Treaty of Indian Springs signed by Mc. Intosh • Treaty of Washington • Ga Land Lottery

1838 - TRAIL OF TEARS • President Martin Van Buren ordered the U. S. military to forcefully remove the Cherokee from Georgia. • Led by General Winfield Scot, stockades were built as temporary housing for the Indians where many died from the poor conditions. • Some were loaded on boats on the Mississippi and Tennessee , but most were forced to march the 700 -800 mile walk leading to the death of thousands.

CONDITIONS • Took up to 6 months • Food provided by U. S. government was poor • Faced winter, snow, and food shortages. • 4, 000 died in prison before marching west.