By 1825, the Cherokee Nation had already begun to establish a civil government including a police force and a judicial system. These were not savage hunters, their leaders learned to speak English, they translated the Bible into Cherokee Syllabry, established a printing press and published a bilingual paper called the 'Cherokee Phoenix'. In 1827 the Cherokee nation adopted their own Constitution modeled on that of the United States including executive, legislative and judicial branches adapted for Cherokee needs.
As early as 1808, the Cherokee nation had reached out to the United States for protection and to become citizens of the United States. So, now why in 1827 were they taking steps to become a sovereign nation, and why would the United States oppose that? The answer is land. The Cherokee knew that the agreements they made with the United States government could no longer be backed by force, but they must rely on law. The Cherokees worked through the American political system by meeting with the legislators and administrations even though they had no vote. Now, with a constitution, they could be recognized as sovereign nation not only by the United States, but perhaps the European powers like Spain or Great Britain. As a sovereign nation, they would have both U.S. and international law on their side. With the law on their side, they could fight to force the make the existing treaties and agreements binding. In fact, it was spelled out in the Cherokee constitution that the Cherokees "would never dispose of one foot more of land again".
The Cherokee were politically savvy, and printed the entire constitution in their own newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix in both English and Cherokee. Other newspapers picked up the story and ran with it. Today, we might say it went viral. The Cherokee constitution was a blow to the Adams administration who along with Andrew Jackson was trying to negotiate a new deal with the Cherokee to cede their land and move west. So it is no wonder, that President Adams responded as he did. Adams tried to spin it by suggesting that the Cherokee people were biting the hands that fed them. But, in adopting such a constitution, they were creating a permanent sovereign home within the boundaries of the United States. It was the United States who had taught them the "arts of civilization", and now they were competing for superiority. In his annual address to congress in 1828, he spoke these words:
"But in appropriating to ourselves their hunting grounds we have brought upon ourselves the obligation of providing them with subsistence; and when we have had the rare good fortune of teaching them the arts of civilization and the doctrines of Christianity we have unexpectedly found them forming in the midst of ourselves communities claiming to be independent of ours and rivals of sovereignty within the territories of the members of our Union. This state of things requires that a remedy should be provided -- a remedy which, while it shall do justice to those unfortunate children of nature, may secure to the members of our confederation their rights of sovereignty and of soil. As the outline of a project to that effect, the views presented in the report of the Secretary of War are recommended to the consideration of Congress."
http://
http://
http://en.wikipedia.org/
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Cherokee_Phoenix_first_issue.jpg
http://www.stateoftheunionhistory.com/2016/06/1808-thomas-jefferson-cherokee-solicit.html
JacksonLand, Steve Inskeep, Penguin Press (2015) pgs. 171-180
No comments:
Post a Comment