In America, the Cherokee had lived in Southern Appalachia for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. Upon European settlement and eventual American Westward Expansion, the Cherokee began to lose their land and way of life. The 1835 census of the Cherokee People reveals that the Cherokee society prior to removal had a distinct culture but was forced into assimilation in hopes to remain on their land. Through American assimilation, the Cherokee sought to prove themselves as worthy republican citizens. To do so, the Cherokee adopted the English language, new ways of naming themselves, and a new patriarchal job system. Foremost, the Cherokee people adopted the English language as an attempt to show they could be republican citizens. Despite having a language unique to their society, the Cherokee were left with little choice but to learn and use the English language. Adopting English was necessary because it showed their attempts to join the American culture instead of remaining isolated. Moreover, it allowed for communication with the American government in negotiation attempts on land boundaries. Evidence of adaptation is seen through the number of people who spoke English and the names they …show more content…
Cherokee society was deserting its traditional culture and adopting a new one. Anglo-Saxon names such as William Reese, Peggy Waters, and James Vahn were adopted by native men and women. Traditional Cherokee names such as Whirlwind, The Hunter, and Moses were becoming less frequent . English sounding names suggest that the Cherokee were trying to mold themselves into what an American citizen might be. Furthermore, most English names are associated with Christianity, which shows the Cherokees conformity to virtue. If their names sounded American and not native, then perhaps the America government would respect them as citizens which would allow them to stay on their
The Cherokee Indians on the other hand faced conflicts that were not like any of the above Indian tribes. They were the last tribe to fight for their land which was in the Appalachian Mountains. The Cherokees were basically became their own country. They had a developed Republican Government, and their own Constitution. They had many conflicts with America though. For example, they had the same land claimed as Georgia causing a big problem that ended up in the Supreme Court. In this case the judges could not decide who had claim of the disputed land. After this, Andrew Jackson persuaded a small group of the Cherokees to sign the Treaty of New Echota. This allowed the American Government ownership to the Cherokee territory, in return America gave them new land west of the Mississippi River
The Cherokees had lived in the interior southeast, for hundreds of years in the nineteenth century. But in the early eighteenth century setters from the European ancestry started moving into the
The Cherokee was a very large tribe that lived in Georgia and unlike other tribes, they constructed large log cabins to live in. During the American Revolution, they sided with the British and even fought battles alongside them (Cherokee Indians, Indians.org). During the 1800s they began to assimilate to the European culture and took on many European customs and this continued until the 1820s when gold was discovered on Cherokee lands and they were then asked by President Andrew Jackson to vacate the area. This came to a surprise to the Cherokee because years before during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814, 500 Cherokee Indians assisted Jackson and possibly saved his life (A Brief History of the Trail of Tears, Cherokee. Org).
Indians were there first America can’t be trusted When they moved to the indian territory, the choctaw and the creek was treated terribly. cherokees was there first for over 100 years, they were moved by the georgians, but some of them chose to move. According to the article Allow Cherokees To Stay it stated that “The Cherokee lived
Not knowing how to cultivate the land or domesticate animals, the Cherokee at a standstill. The Whites, who knew how to cultivate the land and domesticate animals, would have been able to utilize the land to its fullest potential instead of withering away precious resources. The Whites tried various methods to persuade the Cherokee to part with their land, but they refused and were frequently abused. “… we have come to the conclusion that this nation cannot be reinstated in its present location, and that the question left to us and to every Cherokee, is, whether it is more desirable to remain here, with all the embarrassments with which we must be surrounded, or to seek a country where we may enjoy our own laws, and live under our own vine and fig-tree.” If the Cherokee had agreed to relocate further west, they would not have had to go through adversity. The Whites would have left them alone, free to create their own laws and free to do what they wanted. The Cherokee pushed their source of food westward leaving a shortage of deer and buffalo and they did not have the knowledge or resources to cultivate the land. Due to these facts, they were not self-sufficient and would not have been able to survive using their outdated methods of living. Compared to the Whites, the Cherokee population was miniscule, spread across a vast amount of land. “The
In their new environment, The Natives had to go back into their old ways of hunting and gathering since the terrain was unsuitable for their usual farming, Food rates had increased drastically, and many died of starvation (Cooper). Eventually they grew used to their environment and continued to populate the area. They are now considered one of the American Indian group in North America (Weiser-Alexander). The ordeal stuck with them though and created much mistrust between the Cherokee government and the United States government.
One famous Indian tribe is the Cherokee. The Cherokee are original residents of the American southwest region, but now they occupy most of Oklahoma.There are three recognized Cherokee tribes. Most Cherokee people speak English today, but many still speak the Cherokee language. Children had jobs to do after school just like men and women had their own jobs. Many Cherokee Indians died when president Andrew Jackson forced them to leave their homes in Georgia. In the following essay I will be talking about the Cherokee life before,during,and after the Westward Expansion.
The Cherokee removal process dates back as early as the times of the first European encounters. When the explorers arrived in the New World, lack of immunity from disease played a role in decimating the native population. Smallpox, measles, and typhus spread everywhere and eventually, only around sixteen thousand natives remained by the 1700's. Even with the overwhelming victory of the British during the French and Indian war, the Cherokee were able to preserve many aspects of their society such as their own local governments and maintaining their crops. Nevertheless, the monarchy still ruled the region and even by the end of the Revolutionary War when the Americans had won, Constitutional policies were implemented to contain and control the native peoples. Peaceful relations existed in the beginning, but it was not until powerful resistance from the Cherokee that forced change among the settlers who kept pushing for westward expansion.
Globalization has caused extreme change on the Cherokee ways of life, institutions, customs and traditions. The Cherokee people are incorporating more and more of their past traditions in to their institutions way of life in a means of trying to preserve them in this every changing world. Once a culture of people that held high their beliefs and way of life was nearly an extinct culture after the European, and colonization forced these people out of their land. It is important to see look at the affects that globalization has on the Cherokee people because looking at this we can see how globalization affects human dignity both in a positive manner and in a negative manner.
It was futile to teach the Indians in English, because even though they spoke and imitated English, they were never viewed as equals to the Britons. The well-educated Indians were never listened to by the racist Britons, and their cultures were ignored. The British found it important to teach the Indians their ways, but never viewed it necessary to be taught by the Indians. In due time, the Indian people almost rejected the British teachings
The Cherokee people were forced out of their land because of the settler’s greed for everything and anything the land had to offer. Many Cherokee even embraced the “civilization program,” abandoning their own beliefs so that they may be accepted by white settlers. Unfortunately for the Cherokee though, the settlers would never accept them as an equal citizen. A quote from historian Richard White says it very well, “The Cherokee are probably the most tragic instance of what could have succeeded in American Indian policy and didn’t. All these things that Americans would proudly see as the hallmarks of civilization are going to the West by Indian people. They do everything they were asked except one thing. What the Cherokees ultimately
A long time before this land was called the United States, the Cherokee people used to live in this land in the valleys of rivers that drained the southern Appalachians. These people made their homes, farmed their land, and buried their dead. Also these people, who are now called Indians claimed larger lands. They would use these for hunting deer and gathering material, to live off of. Later these lands were called Virginia and Kentucky. As it is mentioned in the text, these people had their own culture and own way of life. They had their own gender roles and religion; even eating food had a different definition than the white man’s culture. They had equality between genders, and other members of the tribe had equal rights to talk. But
The Cherokee tribe is known as one of the earliest and largest Indian tribe in North America. They are federally recognized even today among several states(museum). While they slowly became Americanized by the Europeans who came over to America, some still practice their typical Indian rituals publicly today. Most converted to Christianity and their government in Oklahoma is based off the American government with three branches. One would believe that the Trail of Tears could have completely vanquished these Indians but many made it through the horrendous trial and kept the Indian bloodline going even present day (Conley).
Have you ever heard of the Cherokee Indians? Sure you have! Just as a reminder, they are the biggest tribe, and most known of out of all the Indian tribes there has ever been in the southeast. They are very important to American History and helped shaped us to be the Americans we are today, which is clearly what I 'll be explaining in this paper. Throughout the paper, I 'll tell you everything you need to know about the Cherokee Indians and continue to relate to the thesis.
With waves of the American population moving westward, government attempted to assimilate, or integrate, Native Americans into American society. Their goal was for Native Americans to live and behave like white Americans, and for them “to cast off their savage habits and become an interesting, civilized, and Christian community” (Doc 9). Children were sent to boarding schools where they were given new clothes and haircuts, and taught English, Christianity, and American ways of life (Doc 13). While many Americans believed this would be good for the Native Americans, it effectively destroyed their culture and identity. By forcing them to learn English, they were unable to communicate the concepts, beliefs, and ideas their languages were based on. Americans did not consider the fact that English could not substitute for Native languages, because they are based on different realities, histories, and cultures (Doc 3). Assimilation turned the lives of Native Americans upside-down, forcing them to give up ideas and beliefs they had been practicing their whole lives, without any say. Slowly, Native American culture and lifestyle faded until it was nearly