Biography
The Cherokee people found their Georgia homelands threatened
when American settlers discovered gold along their boundaries
in 1829. Congress and President Andrew Jackson, an avowed
Indian fighter, initiated plans that would remove the Cherokee
from their suddenly valuable lands. The Cherokee made every
attempt to fight through the courts: not only did they have
their own written language but much of the population was
literate in English. The Cherokee Council, led by Chief John
Ross, Clerk John Ridge, and Delegate Lewis Ross, wrote their
protests as "memorials," or petitions to Congress. Despite
the eloquence of their pleas, Congress passed the Indian
Removal Act in 1830 and for several years afterward continued
to pressure the Cherokee to leave by their own will. In the
winter of 1838-39, federal troops forced the removal of twelve
thousand Cherokee from Georgia to "Indian Country" in what
is now known as Oklahoma. Nearly one-third of the Cherokee
died in transit, and the route of their march earned the
name "the Trail of Tears."
Explorations
Though the text of the Memorials (1830) comes to us from
the archives of the Congress of the United States, the Memorials
are in several ways mysterious documents. We know little
about how they were written and edited; nor do we know much
about the breadth and depth of Cherokee support for this
petition. We do know, however, that they were written for
an alien audience and constructed and styled according to
perceptions about that audience. And finally we have to recognize
that as a political document and a moral argument, the Memorials
failed. Still, they are compelling reading, as attempts by
Native Americans to communicate and reason with white America
in the midst of the westward expansion.
1. Compare the opening paragraph of the "Memorial of
the Cherokee Council" to the opening of the "Memorial of
the Cherokee Citizens." Describe the differences and the
different rhetorical strategies which they may reflect.
Taken together, do they suggest anything about the political
structure of the Cherokee nation -- as it was or as it
sought to be perceived in Washington?
2. Religious beliefs are invoked in both Memorials --
but exactly where and to what purpose? How would you differentiate
among these invocations?
3. The language of the Memorials is often compared to
the language of the Declaration of Independence. Choose
a paragraph from the Memorials that shows strong similarities
to language in the Declaration, and describe those similarities.
Describe also the rhetorical, political, and moral strategy
that might be served by that resemblance.
Other sites to consult:
History
of the Cherokee. Ken Martin's comprehensive
site includes historical information, images, and
annotated reading lists.
The
Trail of Tears index. Extensive materials
including a timeline, maps, overviews of key figures,
first-hand accounts, a link to the Trail of Tears
State Park, and much more.
Cherokee
Messenger. Includes back issues of
the periodical and an excellent bank of links.
|
