Cherokee Nation (1794–1907)
Cherokee Nation ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ | |
|---|---|
| 1794–1907 | |
Southeastern U.S. and Indian territories, including Cherokee, Creek, and Chickasaw; 1806 | |
| Status | Distinct political community (per Worcester v. Georgia) |
| Capital |
|
| Common languages | Cherokee |
| Government | Autonomous tribal government |
| Principal Chief | |
| Historical era | Post-colonial to early 20th century |
• Treaty with the Cherokee (affirming Treaty of Holston) | June 26, 1794 1794 |
• New Echota officially designated capital city | November 12, 1825 |
| December 29, 1835 | |
• Cherokee Trail of Tears | 1838–1839 |
• Tahlequah becomes new official capital | September 6, 1839 |
• Oklahoma statehood; governmental functions curtailed | November 16, 1907 1907 |
| Today part of | |
The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ) was an autonomous tribal government of the Cherokee people that existed from 1794 to 1907. Often referred to as "The Nation" by its inhabitants, the government was centered first at New Echota in present-day Georgia and, after removal to Indian Territory, at Tahlequah. In 1827 the Nation adopted a written constitution with legislative, executive, and judicial branches, and in 1832 the United States Supreme Court affirmed in Worcester v. Georgia that the Cherokee Nation was a "distinct political community" in which state laws had no force.
The Nation encompassed the Cherokee of the southeastern United States; the "Old Settlers" who had relocated voluntarily to Indian Territory beginning around 1820; those forcibly removed along the Trail of Tears in the 1830s; and incorporated peoples including the Natchez, Lenape, and Shawnee. After the American Civil War, in which most Cherokee leaders allied with the Confederacy, a new treaty required the Nation to emancipate its slaves and grant citizenship to Cherokee Freedmen.
The Curtis Act of 1898 extended allotment to the Five Civilized Tribes, and the Five Civilized Tribes Act of April 26, 1906, curtailed the Cherokee tribal government in preparation for Oklahoma statehood on November 16, 1907. The Cherokee people reorganized during the 20th century as the Cherokee Nation, which holds federal recognition as a sovereign tribal government.