6 Questions
What was the Treaty of New Echota and why was it controversial?
The Treaty of New Echota was a treaty signed between a committee of Cherokee leaders and the U.S. government, which ceded all of the Cherokee's eastern territory in exchange for $4.5 million, land in the West, and other benefits. It was controversial because it was signed without the consent of most Cherokee people and was seen as illegitimate by some members of the U.S. Senate.
How did British migrants justify taking possession of land inhabited by indigenous peoples?
The British asserted that they would take territory only by treaty, achieved through fair negotiation, while converting willing American Indians to Christianity and "civilizing" them.
How did U.S. President Andrew Jackson contribute to the forced removal of the Cherokee?
U.S. President Andrew Jackson was eager to remove the Cherokee from the eastern states and supported policies and actions that resulted in the forced removal, including the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Treaty of New Echota.
What was the effect of European contact on the Cherokee population?
The Cherokee contracted diseases from Europeans, including smallpox, which devastated their population.
What was the significance of the fire that broke out during the meeting about the Treaty of New Echota?
At least one Cherokee in attendance at the meeting saw the fire as a sign of disapproval from the heavens, indicating that the treaty was not meant to be signed and that the Cherokee should not give up their ancestral homeland.
What was the significance of the Articles of Friendship and Commerce between the British and Cherokee?
The Articles declared that the Cherokee were now the children of the Great King of Great Britain and promised trade and alliance only with England in exchange for weapons and supplies, solidifying their partnership with a colonial power.
Study Notes
- The Cherokee Council house in New Echota, Georgia caught fire during a meeting about a potential treaty with the United States on December 24, 1835.
- Most Cherokee wanted to keep their ancestral homeland despite pressure from the federal government and the State of Georgia to move west.
- U.S. Indian Commissioner John Schermerhorn called a meeting with a separate committee of Cherokee who he believed would be more willing to “remove” the entire tribe to the West.
- The committee listening to Major Currey speak on December 24 agreed to the Treaty of New Echota on December 29, 1835, ceding all of the Cherokee’s eastern territory in exchange for $4.5 million, land in the West, and other benefits.
- U.S. President Andrew Jackson was eager to oust the Cherokee from the eastern states.
- Several members of the Senate criticized the Treaty of New Echota as a “phantom treaty,” claiming that it was signed by an illegitimate council without the consent of the Cherokee people.
- The U.S. Senate put the Treaty of New Echota to a vote on May 18, 1836.
- If ratified, the treaty would bind all Cherokee to the decisions of the committee at New Echota.
- The Cherokee Nation would have to leave its native land if the treaty was ratified.
- At least one Cherokee in attendance at the meeting saw the fire as a sign of disapproval from the heavens.
Take our quiz to test your knowledge about the controversial Treaty of New Echota signed in 1835 between the United States government and the Cherokee Nation. Learn about the events leading up to the treaty, the terms of the agreement, and its aftermath. Discover how the treaty sparked a heated debate in the U.S. Senate and fueled tensions between the Cherokee and the federal government. Keywords: Treaty of New Echota, Cherokee Nation, U.S. government, Andrew Jackson, Senate, controversy.
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