Cherokee Renascence in the New Republic

Description

The Cherokees| the most important tribe in the formative years of the American Republic| became the test case for the Founding Fathers’ determination to Christianize and “civilize” all Indians and to incorporate them into the republic as full citizens. From the standpoint of the Cherokees| rather than from that of the white policymakers| William McLoughlin tells the dramatic success story of the “renascence” of the tribe. He goes on to give a full account of how the Cherokees eventually fell before the expansionism of white America and the zeal of Andrew Jackson. “This is more than a chronicle of events in Cherokee history during this decisive period| although the material covered here has not been better treated before. McLoughlin includes not only the tribe’s relations with the federal government but also the internal divisions that seemed likely to split the nation on several occasions.”–Gary E. Moulton| American Historical Review “A masterfully crafted| meticulously documented analysis of Cherokee acculturation between 1794 and 1833.”–Mary Young| Journal of the Early Republic