Before the Trail of Tears

The beginning of the end of sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation and her people was set in motion by the Treaty of Hopewell in the fall of 1785. This treaty stated that the Cherokee people be, “under the protection of the United States of America and of no other sovereign whatsoever,”.

Old Tassel, also known as Corn Tassel, was the venerable Chief of the Upper Town Cherokees. According To Hoig’s work, The Cherokees and Their Chiefs, Old Tassel was described as “a stout, mild-mannered but resolute man with a round face and a pleasant countenance.” (See Stan Hoig, The Cherokees and Their Chiefs, p.62). He was also known to be wise and honest, as one person noted that, “through a long and useful life, he was never known to stoop to a falsehood.” (Hoig, p. 62)

Congressional approval of the treaty occurred November 18, 1785. The treaty ignored the concerns of the State of North Carolina as that state objected on the grounds that her rights had been violated as land provided to Revolutionary solders now fell within the limits of the Cherokee Nation. The treaty also contained a stern provision that stated, “any settler who fails to remove within six months from the lands guaranteed to the Indians shall forfeit the protection of the Untied States, and the Cherokees may punish him or not as they please.” (See “A Brief History of the Cherokees 1540-1906, by Mary Evelyn Rogers, p.65)

Though the Cherokee Nation did cede land under the treaty, it did create animosity of some of the of Cherokees. Shortly after the treaty was concluded, several members removed from the nation resettling along the St. Francis River in what was then Spanish Louisiana. (Rogers, p. 65)

Within a short time, bloodshed occured by both whites and Cherokees. The most notable militant of the Cherokees was Dragging Canoe (Tsiyugunsini) son of Chief Attakullakulla.

By early 1786, Dragging Canoe and his warriors would attack any white settler found within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation most notably the settlement of Muscle Shoals which led to the abandonment of the site due to constant attacks by Cherokee warriors.

To be continued………….