Understanding 'The Trail of Tears.'

Saturday, November 21, 2009

What happened to the American Indians?

Through an examination of documents, pictures and information from the 1800 you will examine how the American Indians attempted to assimilate to the white man, lost their land in Georgia and were removed to Oklahoma. There is more to what happened with the Indian removal then we see in our textbooks. It will be your job to look at the evidence and determine if we treated the American Indians fairly.

The Cherokee Phoenix

The Cherokee Nation of Indians published some 260 issues of a national newspaper under the titles Cherokee Phoenix and Cherokee Phoenix, and Indians' Advocate from 1828 to 1834. Both English and Cherokee language articles appeared in the Phoenix, with approximately 30% of the column space devoted to articles written in the Cherokee syllabary.

Publication came at the critical time in Cherokee history, during the Cherokee "renaissance" and prior to forced removal of the Cherokee Nation to Indian Territory in 1838.

1) Look at the picture of the Cherokee newspaper. Think about what was involved in first developing a written language, second the purpose for developing a written language and then give your thoughts on what you think the reasons were for doing this and what impact it had on the fate of the nation in Georgia.
(at least a 5 sentence paragraph)

2) Knowing that the formation of a written language and subsequently the newspaper can about after contact with the settlers, how much of a threat do you think the Indians possed and would you view this act as an attempt of assimilation or of trying to undermine the power of the white man? Explain your response.

The Cherokee Nation in the 1820's

Cherokee culture thrived for thousands of years in the southeastern United States before European contact. When the European settlers arrived, the Indains the encountered, includingthe Cherokee, assisted them with food and supplies, The Cherokees taught the arly settlers how to hunt, fish and farm in their new enviroment. They indroduces them to crops such as corn, squash and potatoes; and taught them how to use herval medicines for illnesses.
By the 1820s, many Cherokees had adopted some of the cultural patterns of the white settlers as well. The settlers introduced new crops and farming techniques. some Cherokee farms grew into small plantations, worked by African slaves. Sherokees built gristmills, sawmills, and blacksmith shopes. The yencouraged missionaries to set up schools to educste their children in the English language. They used a syllabary (character representing syllables) developed by Sequayah (a Cherokee) to encourage literacy as well. In the midst of the many changes that followed contact with the Europeans, the Cherokee worked to retain their cultural identity operating "on a basis of harmony, consensus, and community with a distaste for hierarch and individual power"1
In 1822, the treasurer of the American Board of Commissioners for Missions reported on some of the changes that had been made:

It used to be said, a few years since, with the greatest of confidence, and is sometines repeated even now, that "indians can never acquire habit of labour." Facts abundantly disprove this opinion. some indians not only provide an abundant supply of food for their families, by the labour of their own hands, but have a surplus of several hundred bushels of corn, with thwich thy procure clothing, furniture, and forgein artilces of luxury. 2

Questions:
1) In what ways did the Chrokees adopt aspects of the white culture? What idid they do to protect Cherokee culture?

Video on the Trail of Tears

Understanding 'The Trail of Tears.'

Saturday, November 21, 2009

What happened to the American Indians?

The Cherokee Phoenix

The Cherokee Nation in the 1820's

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The Cherokee Phoenix Newspaper

Video on the Trail of Tears

Land occupied by Southeastern Tribes, 1820s.