Indian Removal Unit Packet

Vocab and Key People:
  1. Dahlonega Gold Rush- Site of America’s first gold rush in 1828; discovery of gold in the area was a factor in the Cherokee removal.
  2. Indian Removal Act of 1830 - act signed into law by Andrew Jackson that required the removal of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole to Indian Territory.
  3. Jackson, Andrew (1767-1845) - seventh president of the United States who was an advocate of Indian Removal.
  4. Marshall, John (1755-1835) - Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme court who ruled in favor of the Cherokee in the Worcester vs. Georgia case; President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling.
  5. McGillivray, Alexander - Creek chief who signed the Treaty of New York.
  6. McIntosh, William - Creek chief who illegally signed the Second Treaty of Indian Springs; was murdered by his tribesmen for this action.
  7. Red Stick War (1813-1814) - A Creek Indian civil war between the Red Stick and White Stick factions of the tribe. The Red Sticks want to resist white encroachment and return to their traditional society. The U.S. Army, the Tennessee and Georgia militia, and other Native American tribes joined in the war defeating the Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814.
  8. Ross, John (1790-1866) - Principal Chief of the Cherokee Indians who tried to use legal means to fight against removal.
  9. Sequoyah (1770-1840) - George Gist, inventor of the Cherokee Syllabary.
  10. Syllabary - the written language of the Cherokee Indians. Within one generation after it was invented, over 90% of the tribe was literate in the language.
  11. Trail of Tears - final removal of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia in 1838; over 4,000 people died on the forced march from Georgia to Oklahoma.
  12. Treaty of Indian Springs - A treaty signed by William McIntosh that gave the remainder of Creek land to Georgia; McIntosh was killed for this act.
  13. Treaty of New Echota (1835) - a treaty between the U.S. Government and a minority representation of the Cherokee tribe that ceded all Cherokee land in the Southeast to the United States and allowed for their move to Indian territory (Oklahoma); three of the Cherokee signers of the treaty (Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot) were killed for signing over Cherokee land for personal profit.
  14. Treaty of New York (1790) - treaty signed by the Creek Indians and the United States government that ceded land to the United States in return for allowing Creeks to punish non-Indian trespassers on Creek land.
  15. White Sticks - Creek Indians during the Red Stick War who were loyal to the United States.
  16. Worcester vs. Georgia (1832) - landmark Supreme Court case which declared that the Cherokee were sovereign and not subject to the laws of the United States. However, Andrew Jackson refused to enforce the Court’s decision and the Cherokee were later removed from Georgia.

Understanding the Facts: Using the teacher notes provided & classroom notes, answer the following questions. (Due: ______)

1.What native America nation was the most populous in the state?The Creeks

2.What caused many Georgia’s to develop an antagonistic relationship with the Creeks? The Creek chose to side with the English during the Revolution

3.What was the cause of the Red Stick War? In 1813, a civil war broke out between the Creek Indians. This war called the Red Stick War, was named after the faction of Creeks who wanted to fight the White settlers who were encroaching on their land (those that did not want to fight were called White Sticks).

4.What battle ended the Red Stick War? Who led the battle? Battle of Horseshoe Bend

5.What treaty signed away the remainder Creek land in Georgia? Creek Chief William McIntosh

6.What did the Cherokee believe would be their best hope for maintaining their land? To transform their society to resemble that of the United States

7.What event caused the push for Cherokee removal to become greater?Discovery of gold

8.The Supreme Court case, Worcester v. Georgia, should have protected the Cherokee from removal. Why? It maintained that the Cherokee were an independent nation and were not subject to Georgia law

9.However, a small group of Cherokee signed a treaty giving up the last of their lands in Georgia, what was the name of this treaty? Treaty of New Echota

10.What happened to the Creek chief William McIntosh for signing the Treaty of Indian Springs, and why did the Creek rule this way? 200 Creek warriors carried out McIntosh’s execution at his home by shooting and stabbing him repeatedly

11.Why did Cherokee Chief John Ross have faith in the U.S. Government? He believed that the government would protect the most “civilized” tribe in the Southeast

12. Who discovered gold in North Georgia? Benjamin Parks

13.Soon after the discovery of gold, white gold miners began doing what? Thousands of white gold miners began clamoring for Cherokee land and began to settle there without permission

14.What was decision declared by the Supreme Court regarding Cherokee Nation? Worcester c. Georgia

15.What was President Jackson’s response to the ruling? Cherokee’s removal

16.What did one man, who had fought alongside Jackson against the Creeks, say about him? That if he knew how Jackson would have treated Indians when he became president, he would have killed him when he had the chance

17.Who was President at the time of the forced removal of Cherokee from Georgia? Martin Van Buren

18.Why was the removal called the Trail of Tears? The under supplied Cherokee lost over 4,000 people to disease and exposure