The Grand Council of the Cherokee Nation
Chair: Danny Sanchez (disanchez@uchicago.edu)
Crisis Directors: Nora Radtke (nradtke@uchicago.edu) & Mayon Yen (myen888@uchicago.edu)
The 1830s were a tumultuous time for the Cherokee Nation. Recently established as a sovereign entity, the Nation is pressed to find a territory for its people, to uphold this newly recognized autonomy, and to respond to American expansion. This period of time is also set in the context of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which authorized President Andrew Jackson to force Native American tribes from their homelands to territories west of the Mississippi River. In addition, Native Americans at this time are becoming a more prevalent subject of American jurisprudence, such as in Supreme Court cases Cherokee Nation v. Georgia and Worcester v. Georgia.
As such, rising tensions between aggressive American expansion and the Nation's sovereign rights characterize this era. On the horizon are new opportunities for the Nation to assert its power by interacting with other regional players such as other Native American tribes, the Mexican State of Coahuila y Tejas, and Santa Anna's Mexican government.
These challenges present the Nation with the opportunity to engage in diplomatic and military negotiations in order to gain power, international recognition, and domestic authority.