HIST 2111
Cherokee Removal Editorial
April 07, 2015
GOVERNMENT’S GREED FORCES FAMILIES FROM THEIR HOMES The Cherokee Indians were one tribe that made up the “Five Civilized Tribes”. These tribes were the original settlers of the American land and they negotiated over thirty treaties with the United States from 1789 to 1825. The white Americans wanted the Native American lands and these treaties were negotiated to have the Indians exchange lands of the east, for lands west of the Mississippi.
In 1802, a line of separation was established that satisfied both the U.S. Government as well as the Cherokee tribes. The United States declared that they were “unwilling that any cessions of land should be made to them, unless with the full understanding and full assent of the tribe making such cession, and for a just and adequate consideration.” But, as soon as the Georgians caught wind that gold had been discovered in the Cherokee land of Georgia, they pushed for the removal of this tribe. They were to take this land and all the gold in it. No one cared about the families that had grown up and died in this land. No one seemed to care if these men, women, and children had a safe place to call home, as long as they had the gold. The Cherokee, just as the U.S. had done, adopted a formal constitution, declared themselves as an independent nation and elected a chief. After Georgia annulled their constitution and ordered seizure of the land, the Cherokee people took their case to the Supreme Court. Although the Supreme Court sided in favor of the Cherokee, the Georgians took their land anyway. The U.S. government pledged to prevent intrusions and gave the Cherokee their word that the land marked as theirs, would be, no matter what. The government did not say, “this is your land, so long as there is nothing valuable on it or we do not decide we would like it back.” It was marked off and declared Cherokee land, period. After agreeing upon this, the U.S. government went back on their word. At this point, why would the Cherokee not see all white men as dishonorable intruders? The Treaty of Hopewell was adopted by the Federal Constitution in 1791. As we all know, the Constitution is the law of the land. Why was this “law” not kept? The Cherokee always honored their side of the bargain and did whatever it took to keep the peace with the U.S. In the 1830 Cherokee Address to the United States, they ask why keeping promises were less binding for the U.S. They asked that the agreements made between the U.S. founding fathers and their fathers be preserved. Is it fair that all treaties between the U.S. and Cherokee were made to benefit the whites? Was it fair that all valuable stipulations were made to benefit the U.S.? Was it fair that the Cherokee people trusted the U.S. to protect them, only for the U.S. to betray them?
