Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/387

 CHEROKEES 379 By the treaty of Hopewell, Nov. 28, 1785, they acknowledged the sovereignty of the United States, and were solemnly confirmed in the possession of their hunting grounds, embracing much of the present state of Tennessee, with portions of North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Settlements however kept constantly encroaching on these lands, and the Cherokees, advancing in civilization, cultivated more and hunted less. They gave up portions of their territory by the treaties of Holston in 1791 and Tellico in 1798. Owing to this and the general scarcity of game, a portion of the hunters as early as 1790 emigrated beyond the Mississippi, and settled on the St. Francis in the Spanish colony of Louisiana. Some years after a division was made of the property of the tribe between these two parties, and in 1817 the western Cherokees on the Arkansas numbered 3,000, under Takatoka as their chief. The eastern Cherokees, aided by the United States government with agricultural imple- ments, mills, and cotton-cleaning machinery, increased in prosperity; and in 1805, by the treaty of Tellico, for $14,000 in cash, and a per- petual annuity of $3,000, they ceded a large tract in Tennessee. Although now sedentary and to a considerable extent of mixed blood, the Cherokees were not favorably regarded by Georgia, which demanded their removal in spite of the important services rendered by them in 1812 while serving in Jackson's army, and although by the labors of the Moravian missionaries begun in 1801, followed by the American board of commissioners for foreign missions, the tribe was becoming Christianized. Two parties now arose, the lower towns still clinging to the hunter life, and the upper towns wishing to assimilate to the whites. In the autumn of 1808 delegates of both parties called on the president, the former to express their wish to remove to government lands beyond the Mississippi river. By the treaty of the Cherokee agency, July 8, 1817, lands were ceded to the United States in exchange for lands on the Arkansas and White, government aiding them in transportation. Under this ar- rangement 3,000 emigrated in 1818. By a treaty the next year making a further cession of lands, the annuities were divided between the eastern and western Cherokees. These continued cessions of land had reduced the Cherokee territory to a mountainous tract of about 8,000 square miles, chiefly within the limits of Georgia. The people of that state still desired their total removal, and actually, by a series of laws officially disregarding their existence as a distinct community, extended jurisdiction over the Cherokee territory, anni- hilated the tribal government, and by refusing them citizenship, or even the right of being witnesses, placed them in a difficult position. The Cherokees in vain appealed to the United States government ; the supreme court of the United States decided that they could not maintain an action in the United States courts, and the general government admitted its ina- bility to carry out the long series of treaties. Two parties now existed in the Cherokee na- tion, one led by John Ross opposed to removal, the other under the Ridges and Boudinot in favor of it. At last in 1835 a treaty for gener- al removal was made with a small fraction of the nation, and in 1838 Gen. Scott marched into their country with 2,000 men to enforce it. Their numbers were estimated in all at this time at 27,000, 1,000 remaining undisturbed in North Carolina. The work of removal was committed to the Ross party, who for years were the ruling body and principal medium of treaty with government. Their new site in the Indian territory was further west than the lands given to the western Cherokees, and comprised 9,776,000 acres. Here all their edu- cational and mission works were restored, and provisions supplied for one year. The eastern Cherokees had adopted a constitution and laws which were here put in force, but the western branch opposed them and wished to maintain their old style of government; while in the former body the Ridges still kept up a distinct party. The feuds between the three parties led to acts of violence. In June, 1839, Major Ridge, his son John, and Elias Bou- dinot were assassinated, and the Ross party became supreme. An act of union between the eastern and western Cherokees was then made, July 12, 1839. In their new home Con- gregational, Moravian, Baptist, and Methodist mission influence continued hopefully. The printing press, established at Union in 1835 and then removed to Park Hill, continued its work, publishing newspapers and many reli- gious works, partly in English and partly in Cherokee, using for the latter the syllabic char- acters invented in 1821 by a member of the tribe. (See GUESS, GEORGE.) Salt works, the raising of grain, cotton, cattle, and horses, and the annual annuities, had in 1861 brought them to a high degree of prosperity. The Indian agents being all southern, the Cherokees of all factions at first joined the confederates by treaty of Oct. 7, 1861. Regiments raised by order of the Ross party fought against the United States at Pea ridge ; but seeing the struggle doubtful, 9,000 under Col. Downing, the second chief, with a majority of the nation, abandoned the southern cause and came with- in the Union lines. The remainder, 6,500, chiefly of the Ridge party, adhered to the end to the southern confederacy. In consequence the Ross party confiscated all their lands. The Cherokee territory was now ravaged by both armies, houses and mills were destroyed, and cattle and stock driven off or killed, to the amount of $2,000,000. The war also resulted in the emancipation of their slaves. The gov- ernment regarded the Cherokees as having for- feited their lands by rebellion, and imposed the condition that they should give the negroes a portion of their lands or forfeit certain funds held by government. In 1867 the Cherokees,