Cherokee Indian Lifestyles in the 1800s

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Cherokee Indian Lifestyles in the 1800s In the 1800s Cherokee Indians were settled in the Southeastern Region of the United States. The Cherokee Nation covered over 8 states including Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, North and South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Today, the Cherokee Indian Reservation only covers western North Carolina. This land is now sovereign by the Trust of the United States Government specifically for the Tribe. This land was purchased by a white man, Will Thomas, who gave the land to the Cherokee Tribe. The Cherokee Indians did not live like savages in the 1800s. In fact, they adopted many of the European-style customs, including the women wearing gowns. They built schools, churches, and a system of government. They mostly built plaster and limited materials. The tribe adopted farming and cattle ranching also. Most villages were near lakes. Each Cherokee village usually had a ball field with benches for spectators. In 1830 the U.S. Congress passed the " Indian Removal Act", which many were Americans were against. The Cherokee's attempted to fight this law. In the "Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia" the Senate did not see them as a sovereign nation, but in 1838 the U.S. Supreme court ruled in favor of the Cherokees on the same matter, ruling they were a sovereign nation and made the removal laws invalid. The Cherokee Nation would have to agree on removal only by treaty. In 1835 the Cherokee Nation was divided and despondent. On May 17, 1837, General William Scott and 7000 men in the United States army began the invasion of the Cherokee Nation. Men, women, and children were taken from their homes and put into makeshift forts with minimal food and facilities. The Indians were forced to then march a thousand miles. With the lack of food and the conditions over 4000 Cherokees died as a result. This journey has

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