Arguments Against The Cherokee Nation

Enduring a cultural, spiritual, and physical bludgeoning since its first contact with European society, the Cherokee Nation succumbed to the foreign power in the first half of the nineteenth century. However, as tensions rose between the two entities, nationalist attitudes emerged to justify the arguments on both sides of the struggle. The United States’ perpetual infringement of Indian sovereignty inspired both sentiments of opposition and reluctant submission within the indigenous nation. Stemming from religious and governmental assimilation policies, the law’s bias against the Cherokees in their efforts to keep their borders and culture intact, and political infighting over land secession, Cherokee nationalism encompassed the spirit of resistance to Western encroachment.
Lacking the Christian religion, the Cherokee Nation became a hotspot for evangelical missionaries to spread the Gospel, establish Western values through schools, and breed contempt among their subjects. Recounting her teaching experience with Cherokees, Sally M. Reece suggested, “They have yet a great many bad customs but I hope all these things will soon be done away. They have thought more about the Savior lately. I hope this nation will soon become civilized and enlightened.” While the …show more content…
Voicing their opposition to Western encroachment with the assistance of Enlightenment ideas and European constructs, the Cherokees adopted the ways of their enemies to effectively resist. As the conflict grew between those outside and those inside the Indian nation, the Trail of Tears heralded the end of the tribes once-thriving legacy. As compulsory change and broken promises marked their relationship, the United States abandoned the Cherokee people with a shattered culture in a new