Native American Land Cessions
Why were the Cherokee removed from their homes in northwestern Georgia?
The Cherokee were removed from their homes in northwestern Georgia as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This act was passed by the United States government under President Andrew Jackson's administration, with the objective of forcibly relocating Native American tribes living in the Southeastern United States to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma).
The primary reason for the removal of the Cherokee, along with other tribes such as the Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole, was the desire of white settlers to acquire their land for expansion and economic purposes, particularly for agriculture and the cultivation of cotton. The discovery of gold in the Cherokee territory in the early 1820s further increased the pressure for their removal.
Although the Cherokee Nation had developed a complex society with a written language, adopted a constitution, and even established a formal government, their advancements did not protect them from removal. The state of Georgia, supported by the federal government, claimed jurisdiction over Cherokee lands within its borders, disregarding the sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation.
The forced removal of the Cherokee from their ancestral lands, known as the Trail of Tears, began in 1838. Approximately 16,000 Cherokee people were forcibly relocated, with thousands of them dying during the journey due to harsh conditions, exposure, disease, and lack of provisions.
The removal of the Cherokee from their homes in northwestern Georgia was an outcome of the United States government's policy of forcibly relocating Native American tribes in order to acquire their land, which was rich in resources and desired for white settlement and economic development.