1. Alexander McGillivray
Georgians were not happy with the treaty because they thought the government had sided with the Creek.
Tensions continued to exist between the Creeks and white settlers, and the treaty was basically ignored.
During this time, Georgia ceded the land east of the Chattahoochee (present-day Alabama and Mississippi) to the federal government in Compact of 1802.
$1.25 million
A promise to extinguish all American Indian land titles in Georgia

2. William McIntosh
The Creek Confederacy began to fall apart as groups of Creeks signed treaties without asking the other tribes to agree.
In 1825, Chief McIntosh and his first cousin, Georgia Governor, George Troup decided on the Treaty of Indian Springs.
$200,000 to cede all Creek lands in Georgia to the federal government.
Rival Chief Menawa was sent by a group who disagreed with the treaty and thought he should die according to Creek Law.
Menawa’s group set fire to McIntosh’s home, dragged him from the house, and stabbed him in the chest. His scalp was taken as a warning to other creeks who might be tempted to give up land

3. Sequoyah
“Lonely Lame One” - crippled from illness or a hunting accident and could no longer hunt or farm, so he learned to work with silver.
Created the Cherokee syllabary – groups of symbols that stand for whole sounds.
Started in 1809 and it took 12 years to decide on the 85 symbols.
In six months, most of the tribes could read and write the new symbols.
By 1830, over 90% of the Cherokee could read and write.
Cherokees were the first Indians to have their language in written form which allowed them to establish a newspaper, constitution and formal government.

4. Dahlonega Gold Rush Gold was discovered in the summer of 1829.
The Cherokee knew of the gold, but person given credit for the discovery was Benjamin Parks.
First found in Habersham (now White) county. Auraria, in nearby Lumpkin County became the first gold mining center in the United States.
Over 10,000 miners moved onto Cherokee land
The Georgia legislature passed laws that put part of Cherokee land under state control and declared Cherokee laws null and void. Cherokees could not speak against white men in court.
Later, it passed a law refusing the Cherokee any right to the gold mined in the Dahlonega area.

5. Worcester v. Georgia
Missionaries cared about the plight of the Cherokee, but the General Assembly did not like the having missionaries on Cherokee land.
In 1830, the legislature passed a law requiring any white person living on Cherokee land to take an oath of allegiance to the governor.
Missionaries Samuel Worcester and Elizur Butler refused to sign the oath. They were arrested and sentenced to four years in the state penitentiary.
Worcester and Butler took their cases all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Georgia law did not apply to Cherokee land

6. Worcester v. Georgia
Marshall ordered Worcester and Butler released, but the judge and Georgia’s governor refused. President Andrew Jackson refused to honor the Supreme Court order.
In 1832, Georgia held a land lottery to give the Cherokee land to settlers.
Eventually, the two men were pardoned and told they must leave the state.

7. Andrew Jackson
In 1828, Andrew Jackson became President. He had worked with the Cherokee while fighting against the Red Stick Creek.
He had a history of dealing harshly with Native Americans who fought against him.
He knew most Americans wanted the Native Americans moved west, and he worked to pass the Indian Removal Act in Congress.
Jackson thought that state governments should be in charge of Indian land, and he refused to enforce the ruling of Worcester v. Georgia.

8. Removal of the Creek
The Creek refused to leave, so Alabama took away all of their rights. They were defenseless when white settlers moved onto their land.
In 1832, the Creek signed the Treaty of Washington
Ceded 5 million acres they still owned
2 million acres were set aside for the Creek. They could stay or move west.
The treaty was broken – homes were burned and Indians were killed.
Some bands of the Lower Creek attacked whites near the Alabama-Georgia border.
The U.S. Army captured over 1,000 Creek and moved them to Indian Territory.

9. Removal of the Cherokee
Cherokee were one of the “five civilized tribes”
They had a representative government, a written constitution, a capital city (New Echota), and a English-Cherokee newspaper (The Cherokee Phoenix).
Georgians wanted the land of the Cherokee to homestead and mine for gold.
In 1835, the Cherokee were told to come to New Echota and sign a treaty giving up their land. If they didn’t come, it was assumed they agreed with the treaty. Major Ridge and John Ridge signed the Treaty of New Echota.
In 1838, General Winfield Scott led the army and Georgia militias in gathering the Cherokee into stockades to house the Cherokee until they could be moved west.

10. Removal of the Cherokee
The Cherokee were forced to walk the miles to Indian Territory. Winter winds, snow and inadequate food lead to the deaths of thousands of Cherokee.
Approximately 4,000 Cherokee died during the removal.
President Martin Van Buren, in December 1838, said, “ the measures of the removal have had the happiest effect…the Cherokee have emigrated without apparent reluctance.”
The Cherokee called the move to Indian Territory “Anuna-da-ut-sun’y” which means “the trail where they cried.” One-quarter of the Cherokee died on the “Trail of Tears”