Introduction
The Cherokee Nation was a very contentious matter in the quest of the United States (US) to expand its territorial domains westward of North America during the 19th century. Although the Cherokees, regarded by the US as an Indian tribe, have asserted their right to sovereignty over part of what is now known as the state of Georgia, they are nevertheless subjected to a series of paper trails by the US government that, in turn, led it to acquire jurisdiction over their lands. It is from that moment where calls for an independent Cherokee Nation grew stronger, yet President Andrew Jackson remained steadfast in the goal of his administration to exercise jurisdiction over the Cherokees. Notably so, the proceedings that led to the success of the US in seizing sovereignty over the Cherokee Nation were largely bloodless in nature, albeit ridden with deception and political pressures. This paper discusses the merits behind the efforts of the Cherokees in fighting for their right to acquire sovereignty over their lands, which is embodied in the Cherokee Memorials. While the Cherokee Nation has presented valid points that vehemently reject the legitimacy of US sovereignty over its domains, it nevertheless failed due to the sheer persistency of the US government and its access to strong political and economic machineries that ultimately led to the forced displacement of the Cherokees with their transfer to the area that is now the modern-day state of Oklahoma.
Objections of the Cherokees
The Cherokees rejected the idea of being ruled under the US government simply because they believe that their right to have an independent nation in the form of the Cherokee Nation is indispensably justified by their distinction as a people from that of the US. Historical facts provided strength to the arguments the Cherokees raised in the Cherokee Memorials. The alliance of the Cherokee Nation with the British Empire during the War of 1812 is claimed by the Cherokees as a major sign that they are recognized as a people from an independent nation (Baym 1264-1265). Discerning the actions of the US government, the Cherokees cited the cases of North Carolina and Georgia as being technically sovereign states, given the diplomatic act by President George Washington of using “Commissioners Plenipotentiaries” on the subjects of those states (Baym 1265). The Hopewell and Holston treaties signed by both the US and the Cherokee Nation is another point of contention the Cherokees raised in affirming that they are an independent people, given that they regard the US government as one that is constitutionally obliged to recognize the validity of every treaty it signs (Baym 1265-1266). In turn, such led the Cherokees to question why the US has denied them what they call their “right to improve [their] government” (Baym 1266). It can be viewed from the progression of the Cherokee Memorials that the Cherokees have expressed their due resentment against the systematic deception employed by the US government against them, which resulted to the rendering of the treaties supportive of self-government for the Cherokee Nation void and the proliferation of the idea “that the aborigines are capable of civilization,” henceforth resulting to the transfer of sovereignty over them under the control of the US. Beyond the Cherokee Memorials, which was deemed ineffective in arguing against US sovereignty, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 (Cherokee Phoenix and Indians’ Advocate, pp. 2-3) and subsequent turbulent events leading to the forced transfer of the Cherokees to present-day Oklahoma called the Trail of Tears and the enforcement of the Treaty of New Echota diminished all hope for an independent Cherokee Nation (Cherokee Nation). The foregoing proceedings were largely bloodless, despite the strong interest shown by the US government over the natural resources possessed by the Cherokees – a fact that perhaps served as its main motivation to exert sovereignty over the Cherokee Nation (Baym 1261-1262)
Conclusion
The Cherokees were able to raise valid points for an independent Cherokee Nation through the Cherokee Memorials. Yet, the fact that the US government has shown relentless persistence to its desire to place the Cherokee Nation under its control has led the Cherokees to fail in their pursuit to proving their merits for independence. A series of paper trails primarily designed for deception has led the Cherokees to surrender their independence unknowingly and without their consent – one that is followed by strong political pressures that, in turn, enabled the US government to acquire control of the Cherokee Nation bloodlessly. Simply put, the Cherokee Nation fell victim to the advances of the US – evidently a more powerful nation characterized with a form of brashness rendering its people to deem indigenous populations as uncivilized and unworthy of having their own governments. Indeed, it is true that the advocacy enshrined within the Cherokee Memorials stands little chance of being revived in present times through the rather cunning actions of the US government in displacing the Cherokees from their ancestral lands via dubious agreements, but it nonetheless remains as a testament to the validity of perspectives and discourses questioning the integrity of the westward expansion of the US throughout the 19th century.
Works Cited
"The Cherokee Memorials." The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Seventh Edition: Volume B 1820-1865. Ed. Nina Baym. 7th ed. Vol. B. New York: W. W. Norton, 2007. 1261-1268. Print.
"Cherokees Feel They Are To Be Sacrificed." Cherokee Phoenix and Indians’ Advocate 17 March 1830: 2-3. Print.
"Did the Cherokee Really Want to Emigrate?" Cherokee Nation. Cherokee.org, n.d. Web. 4 May 2014.
