Cherokee Nation Case Study
How did many members of the Cherokee Nation, who originally lived in parts of what are now Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama, end up living in Oklahoma? These sources allow you to further investigate this story of American Indian Removal.
John Ross was one leader from the Cherokee Nation who was against removal.
Be the Linguist
What can you learn from John Ross's letter to Congress?
- What is the tone of John Ross's letter?
- How has the Cherokee Nation been hurt by the "agreements" made with a U.S. state or with the U.S. government?
- Why does Ross say that the treaties and contracts that were made in the past are not legal?
- In what ways does Ross try to persuade Congress that they should help the Cherokee Nation?
- How has removal hurt all members of the Cherokee Nation, even those who didn't leave?
Letter From John Ross to the Senate and House of Representatives, September 28, 1836
By the stipulations of this instrument, we are despoiled of our private possessions, the indefeasible property of individuals. We are stripped of every attribute of freedom and eligibility for legal self-defence. Our property may be plundered before our eyes; violence may be committed on our persons; even our lives may be taken away, and there is none to regard our complaints. We are denationalized; we are disfranchised. We are deprived of membership in the human family! We have neither land nor home, nor resting place that can be called our own. And this is effected by the provisions of a compact which assumes the venerated, the sacred appellation of treaty.
We are overwhelmed! Our hearts are sickened, our utterance is paralized, when we reflect on the condition in which we are placed, by the audacious practices of unprincipled men, who have managed their stratagems with so much dexterity as to impose on the Government of the United States, in the face of our earnest, solemn, and reiterated protestations.
The instrument in question is not the act of our Nation; we are not parties to its covenants; it has not received the sanction of our people. The makers of it sustain no office nor appointment in our Nation, under the designation of Chiefs, Head men, or any other title, by which they hold, or could acquire, authority to assume the reins of Government, and to make bargain and sale of our rights, our possessions, and our common country. And we are constrained solemnly to declare, that we cannot but contemplate the enforcement of the stipulations of this instrument on us, against our consent, as an act of injustice and oppression, which, we are well persuaded, can never knowingly be countenanced by the Government and people of the United States; nor can we believe it to be the design of these honorable and highminded individuals, who stand at the head of the Govt., to bind a whole Nation, by the acts of a few unauthorized individuals. And, therefore, we, the parties to be affected by the result, appeal with confidence to the justice, the magnanimity, the compassion, of your honorable bodies, against the enforcement, on us, of the provisions of a compact, in the formation of which we have had no agency...
Before your august assembly we present ourselves, in the attitude of deprecation, and of entreaty. On your kindness, on your humanity, on your compassion, on your benevolence, we rest our hopes. To you we address our reiterated prayers. Spare our people! Spare the wreck of our prosperity! Let not our deserted homes become the monuments of our desolation! But we forbear! We suppress the agonies which wring our hearts, when we look at our wives, our children, and our venerable sires! We restrain the forebodings of anguish and distress, of misery and devastation and death, which must be the attendants on the execution of this ruinous compact.
Letter From John Ross to the Senate and House of Representatives, September 28, 1836
By the conditions listed in the Treaty of New Echota, we are robbed of our private possessions, the property of individuals, which cannot be taken away by any treaty. We are robbed of every element of freedom and every opportunity to defend ourselves legally. Our property may be taken away from us before our eyes; physical violence may be done to us; even our lives may be taken away, and there is no one to listen to our complaints. We have had our nation taken from us. We have had our right to vote taken from us. We have had our membership in the human family taken from us! We have neither land nor home, nor resting place that can be called our own. And all of this is because of the conditions listed in an agreement, which has been given the respected, holy name of "treaty."
We are overwhelmed! When we think about what we've lost, our hearts are sickened, our voices are paralyzed. The extremely bold practices of men without good morals, have tricked the Government of the United States, in the face of our sincere, serious, and repeated objections.
The treaty we are describing here is not the act of our Nation; we are not taking part in its agreements; it has not received the approval of our people. The makers of the treaty do not hold any official job in our Nation. They have not been given any authority by Chiefs, Head men, or any other title. The authority to take control of the Government, and to make bargains and sell off our rights, our possessions, and our common country is not theirs. And we must seriously state that we cannot help but think of having the conditions of this Treaty enforced on us, without our permission, as an act of injustice and cruel abuse of power, which, we are convinced, can never knowingly be supported by the Government and people of the United States. It cannot be the plan of these respectable and civilized people, who stand at the head of the Govt., to tie a whole Nation, by the actions of a few people who lack the power to create this Treaty. And, therefore, we, the people who will be affected by the result, call upon the fairness, the generosity, the kindness, of your respected lawmakers. Do not force us to agree to the conditions in this Treaty when we have had no decision-making in the creation of the Treaty.
Before your respected gathering of lawmakers we present ourselves, in the attitude of prayer. On your kindness, on your humanity, on your compassion, on your generosity, we rest our hopes. To you we address our repeated prayers. Save our people! Save us from the destruction of our good fortune! Do not let our deserted homes become the reminders of our destruction! We refuse! We push away the heartbreaks which twist our hearts, when we look at our wives, our children, and our respected elders! We hold back the sense that evil things are coming, such as extreme pain and danger, of misery and complete destruction. These things will happen if we carry through with the destructive Treaty of New Echota.
