John Ross
Ross c. 1866
Born	October 3, 1790(1790-10-03) Turkeytown, Alabama
Died	August 1, 1866 Washington, D.C.

John Ross (October 3, 1790 - August 1, 1866), also known as Kooweskoowe - "the great", Principal Chief of the Cherokee Native American Nation. John Ross was the name of: John Ross (admiral) (18th C.), admiral of the British Royal Navy John Ross (American patriot), a figure in the American Revolution John Ross (d. ... John Ross, Cherokee chief (19th century photograph) This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1790 (MDCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1790 (MDCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... For other uses, see Cherokee (disambiguation). ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ...

Introduction

Between 1819 and 1866, the Cherokee attempted to become a nation state, lost their ancestral land, endured removal to the Indian Territory, and suffered a destructive civil war. Throughout these tumultuous years, the dominant political figure in the Cherokee Nation was John Ross, whose leadership spanned the entire period. By ancestry, Ross was seven-eighths Scottish. He had been educated by white men, was a poor speaker of the Cherokee language, and was one of the wealthiest men of the Nation. Ironically, in terms of heritage, education, status, and economic pursuits, Ross more closely resembled his political foes President Andrew Jackson and Governor George R. Gilmer of Georgia than he did the majority of the Cherokee Nation. In Washington social circles, it was remarked that in "manners and deportment...[Ross had] in no respect differed from those of well-bred country gentleman." 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Indian Territory in 1836 Indian Country redirects here. ... This article is about the country. ... For other uses, see Andrew Jackson (disambiguation). ... George Rockingham Gilmer (April 11th, 1790 - November 16th, 1859) was an American politician. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ...

The Cherokee Moses

Given Ross's background, it would seem unlikely he would involve himself in Cherokee affairs, and in so doing emerge as the dominant political figure of the Cherokee Nation. However, despite a vocal minority of Cherokees and a generation of political leaders in Washington who considered Ross to be dictatorial, greedy, and an "aristocratic leader [who] sought to defraud" the Cherokee Nation, the majority of Cherokees ardently supported him and elected Ross as their principal chief in every election from 1828 through 1860.^[1] Ross also had supporters in Washington, including Thomas L. McKenney, a commissioner of Indian Affairs (1824 - 1830) who described him as the father of the Cherokee Nation, a Moses who "lead...his people in their exodus from the land of their nativity to a new country, and from the savage state to that of civilization."^[2] Year 1828 (MDCCCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Thomas Loraine McKenney (1785–1859) was a United States official who served as Superintendent of Indian Trade from 1816–1822. ... The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the Department of the Interior charged with the administration and management of 55. ... 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Childhood

House built by John McDonald in early 19th Century. It was home to John Ross prior to Removal. It is still standing at Rossville, Georgia.

Ross was born in Turkeytown, Alabama, along the Coosa River, near Lookout Mountain, to Mollie and Daniel Ross. Ross's genealogy begins with William Shorey, a Scottish interpreter, and his "fullblood" wife Ghigooie, a member of the Bird clan. In 1769, their daughter Anna married John McDonald, a Scottish trader at Fort Loudoun, in Tennessee. This marriage produced a daughter Mollie, who in 1786 married Daniel Ross, a Scotsman who had gone to live among the Cherokee during the American Revolution.^[3] Image File history File links Rosshouse. ... Image File history File links Rosshouse. ... Rossville is a city located in Walker County, Georgia. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The Coosa River is the major tributary when it joins the Tallapoosa River near Wetumpka, Alabama to form the Alabama River. ... View from the top of Lookout Mountain, February, 1864, by George N Barnard Lookout Mountain, actually a plateau, is located at the northwest corner of Georgia, the northeast corner of Alabama, and along the southern border of Tennessee near Chattanooga. ... 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Fort Loudoun was a colonial American fort in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee near the villages of the Overhill Cherokee. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Largest metro area Nashville Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ... 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the country. ... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen...

Ross's childhood, spent in the area of Lookout Mountain, was immersed in Cherokee society, where he encountered the fullblood Cherokee who frequented his father's trading company. As a child, Ross was allowed to participate in Cherokee events such as the Green Corn Festival. However, despite his father's willingness to allow his son to partake in some Cherokee customs, the elder Ross was determined his son receive a rigorous education. After receiving an elementary education at home, Ross studied with the Reverend Gideon Blackburn, and finished his education at an academy in South West Point, Tennessee.^[4] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Gideon Blackburn (August 27, 1772 to August 23, 1838) a Presbyterian clergyman, born in Angusta County, Virginia who spent time a missionary among the Cherokee Nation, opening schools and teaching Cherokee children, including future Cherokee Chief John Ross. ...

Business Activities

At the age of twenty, having completed his education, Ross was appointed as Indian agent to the western Cherokee and sent to Arkansas. He served as an adjutant in a Cherokee regiment during the War of 1812 and participated in fighting at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend against the British-allied Creek tribe. Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Largest metro area Little Rock Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,002 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... This article is about the U.S. – U.K. war. ... Combatants Creek Indians Red Sticks United States Cherokee Creek allies Commanders Menawa Andrew Jackson Strength 1,000 Red Stick Creek about 2,000 infantry 700 mounted infantry 600 Cherokee and Lower Creeks Casualties 800 49 killed 154 wounded // Although having nothing to do with the British or Canadians, the battle... The Creeks are an American Indian people originally from the southeastern United States, also known by their original name Muscogee (or Muskogee), the name they use to identify themselves today. ...

Ross then began a series of business ventures, but derived the majority of his wealth from cultivating 170 acres worked by twenty slaves.^[5][6] In 1816 he founded Ross's Landing (which was renamed Chattanooga after his departure for Oklahoma). In addition, Ross established a trading firm and warehouse. In total, he earned upwards on one-thousand dollars a year. In 1827, Ross moved to Coosa to be closer to New Echota, the Cherokee capital, and the other leading figures of the nation. In Coosa, Ross established another ferry and had twenty slaves cultivating 170 acres. By December 1836, Ross's property was appraised at $23,665.75, which made him one of the five wealthiest men in the Cherokee Nation.^[7] This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Nickname: Scenic City (official), River City, Chatty, Chatt-Town, Chattavegas Motto: Official website: http://www. ... “Chattanooga” redirects here. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,898 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Year 1827 (MDCCCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Coosa may refer to: Coosa River Coosa County, Alabama This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The monument on New Echota Historic Site honored the Cherokees who died on the Trail of Tears. ... Year 1836 (MDCCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Rise to National Leadership

Political Apprenticeship

The years 1812 to 1827 were also a period of political apprenticeship for Ross. Before he would lead the Cherokee people he had to learn how to conduct negotiations with the United States and the skills required to run a national government. After 1814, Ross's political career, as a Cherokee legislator and diplomat, progressed with the support of individuals like Principal Chief Pathkiller, Associate Chief Charles R. Hicks, and Major Ridge, an elder statesman of the Cherokee Nation. In 1813, as relations with the United States became more complex, older, uneducated Chiefs like Pathkiller could not effectively defend Cherokee interests. The ascendancy of Ross represented an acknowledgment by the Cherokee that an educated, English-speaking leadership was of national importance, and both Pathkiller and Hicks saw Ross as the future leader of the Cherokee Nation and trained him for this work. Ross served as clerk to Pathkiller and Hicks; working in this capacity on all financial and political matters of the nation.^[8] Equally important in the education of the future leader of the Cherokees was instruction in the traditions of the Cherokee Nation. In a series of letters to Ross, Hicks outlined what was known of Cherokee traditions.^[9] For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... Year 1814 (MDCCCXIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Pathkiller, (1749 to January 1827), was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, fought in the Revolutionary War for Britain and in the wars against American frontiersmen from 1783 through 1794. ... Charles R. Hicks, longtime Second Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation and briefly Principal Chief himself in 1827 following the death of Pathkiller with John Ross as Second Principal Chief, before his own death just a few shorts weeks later brought that to an end. ... This portrait of Major Ridge was painted by Charles Bird King in 1834. ... Year 1813 (MDCCCXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ...

In 1816, Ross was named by the National Council to his first delegation to Washington. The delegation of 1816 was directed to resolve the sensitive issues of national boundaries, land ownership, and white intrusions on Cherokee land. Of the delegates, only Ross was fluent in English, making him the central figure in the negotiations; a unique position for a young man in Cherokee society, which traditionally favored older leaders.^[10] Ross's first political position came in November 1817 with the formation of the National Council; a thirteen member body elected for two year terms. The National Council was created to consolidate Cherokee political authority after General Jackson made two treaties with small cliques of Cherokees representing minority factions. Membership in the National Council placed Ross among the ruling elite in the upper echelons of the Cherokee leadership. 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Andrew Jackson (disambiguation). ...

A young John Ross

Image File history File links Chief_John_Ross. ...

Assumption of Leadership

In November 1818, on the eve of the General Council meeting with Cherokee agent Joseph McMinn, Ross was elevated to the presidency of the National Committee; a position he held through 1827. The Council selected Ross for this position because they perceived him to have the diplomatic skill necessary to rebuff requests to cede Cherokee lands. In this task, Ross did not disappoint the Council. McMinn offered two-hundred thousand dollars for removal of the Cherokees beyond the Mississippi, which Ross refused.^[11] 1818 (MDCCCXVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... Joseph McMinn (1758 - 1824) was governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821. ... Year 1827 (MDCCCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

In 1819, Ross was again sent to Washington; unlike 1816, however, Ross was now assuming a larger role in the leadership. The purpose of the delegation was to clarify the provisions of the Treaty of 1817. The delegation had to negotiate the limits of the ceded land and hope to clarify the Cherokee's right to the remaining land. John C. Calhoun, the secretary of war, pressed Ross to cede large tracts of land in Tennessee and Georgia. Such pressure would continue and intensify. In October 1822, Calhoun requested that the Cherokee relinquish their land claimed by Georgia, in fulfillment of the United State's obligation under the Compact of 1802. Before responding to Calhoun's proposition, Ross first ascertained the sentiment of the Cherokee people, which he found to be unanimously opposed to cession of land. 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... John Caldwell Calhoun (March 18, 1782 – March 31, 1850) was a leading United States Southern politician and political philosopher from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century, best known as a spokesman for slavery, nullification and the rights of electoral minorities, such as slave-holders. ... The Secretary of War was a member of the United States Presidents Cabinet, beginning with George Washingtons administration. ... --69. ...

In January 1824, Ross traveled yet again to Washington to defend the Cherokees' possession of their land, where Calhoun offered two solutions to the Cherokee delegation: either relinquish title to their lands and remove west or accept denationalization and become citizens of the United States. Rather than accept Calhoun's ultimatum, Ross made a bold departure from previous negotiations by continuing to aggressively press their complaints, and on April 15, 1824, Ross took the dramatic step of petitioning Congress. This fundamentally altered the traditional relationship between an Indian nation and whites dating back to colonial times. 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Never before had an Indian nation petitioned Congress with grievances, and in Ross' correspondences the petitions of submissive Indians were replaced by assertive defenders, able to argue, as well as whites, subtle points about legal responsibilities.^[12] This change was apparent to individuals in Washington, including future president John Quincy Adams, who wrote that "there was less Indian oratory, and more of the common style of white discourse, than in the same chief's speech on their first introduction."^[13] Adams specifically noted Ross' work as "the writer of the delegation" and remarked that "they [had] sustained a written controversy against the Georgia delegation with greate advantage." ^[14] Indeed the Georgia delegation acknowledged Ross' skill in an editorial in The Georgia Journal which charged that the Cherokee delegation's letters were fraudulent because they were too refined to have been written or dictated by an Indian.^[15] John Quincy Adams (July 11, 1569 – February 23, 1985) was a diplomat, politician, and the sixth President of the United States (March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829). ...

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation

In January 1827, Pathkiller, the Cherokee's principal chief, and Charles Hicks, Ross's mentor, both died. In a letter dated February 23, 1827, to Colonel Hugh Montgomery, the Cherokee Agent, Ross wrote that with the death of Hicks, he had assumed responsibility for all public business of the nation. The year 1827 would mark not only the elevation of Ross to principal chief pro tem, but also the climax of political reform of the Cherokee government. During the same period that Ross was negotiating in Washington on behalf of the Cherokee, the Cherokee Council began to pass a series of laws creating a bicameral national government and in 1822 created the Cherokee Supreme Court, capping the creation of a three branch government. In May 1827, Ross was elected to the twenty-four member constitutional committee, which drafted a constitution calling for a principal chief, a council of the principal chief, and a National Committee, which together would form the General Council of the Cherokee Nation. Although the constitution was ratified in October 1827, it did not take effect until October 1828, at which point, Ross was elected principal chief, a position he would hold until his death in 1866. Year 1827 (MDCCCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1828 (MDCCCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The Cherokee now had a system of government with delegated authority capable of dependably formulating a clear, long-range policy to protect national rights, and a strong leader in Ross who understood the complexities of the United States government and could use that knowledge to implement national policy.

Supreme Court Litigation

On December 20, 1828, Georgia, fearful that the United States would be unable to effect the removal of the Cherokee Nation, enacted a series of oppressive laws which stripped the Cherokee of their rights and were calculated to force the Cherokee to remove. In this climate, Ross led another delegation to Washington in January 1829 to resolve disputes over non-payment of annuities and the boundary between Georgia and the Cherokee Nation. Rather than lead the delegation into futile negotiations with President Jackson, Ross wrote an immediate memorial to Congress, completely forgoing the customary correspondence and petitions with the President. Year 1828 (MDCCCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Ross found support in Congress from individual in the National Republican Party such as Senators Henry Clay, Theodore Frelinghuysen, and Daniel Webster and Representatives Ambrose Spencer and David (Davy) Crockett. Despite this support, in April 1829, John H. Eaton, secretary of war (1829 - 1831) informed Ross that President Jackson would support the right of Georgia to extend her laws over the Cherokee Nation and in May 1830, Congress endorsed Jackson's policy of removal by passing the Indian Removal Act, which authorized the president to set aside lands west of the Mississippi to exchange for the lands of the Indian nations in the east.-1... Henry Clay, Sr. ... Theodore Frelinghuysen (1787–1862) Theodore Frelinghuysen (March 28, 1787–April 12, 1862) was a American politician, serving as New Jerseys Attorney General, United States Senator, and Mayor of Newark, New Jersey before running as a candidate for Vice President with Henry Clay on the Whig ticket in the election... Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852), was a leading American statesman during the nations antebellum era. ... Ambrose Spencer (December 13]], 1765 - March 13, 1848) was a United States Representative and New York State Attorney General. ... Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was a celebrated 19th-century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician; usually referred to as Davy Crockett and by the popular title King of the Wild Frontier. He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives, served in the... John Henry Eaton (June 18, 1790–November 17, 1856) was an American politician from Tennessee. ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Indian Removal Act part of a U.S. government policy known as Indian Removal, was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

When Ross and the Cherokee delegation failed to in their efforts to protect Cherokee lands through negotiation with the executive branch and through petitions with Congress, Ross took the radical step of defending Cherokee rights through the U.S. courts. In June 1830, at the urging of Senator Webster and Senator Frelinghuysen, the Cherokee delegation selected William Wirt, attorney general in the Monroe and Adams administrations, to defend Cherokee rights before the U.S. Supreme Court. Wirt argued two cases before the Supreme Court on behalf of the Cherokee: Cherokee Nation v. Georgia and Worcester v. Georgia. The decision handed down by Chief Justice John Marshall never acknowledged that the Cherokee were a sovereign nation, and as such did not compel President Jackson to take action that would defend the Cherokee from Georgia's laws. The Cherokee Nation claim was denied on the grounds that the Cherokees were a "domestic dependent sovereignty" and as such did not have the right to sue Georgia as a nation state. The court would later expand on this in Worcester v. Georgia, where the court decided that Georgians could not extend its laws into Cherokee lands, not because they were fully sovereign, but because they were a domestic dependent sovereignty, and as such were dependent not on the state of Georgia, but on the United States. According to the series of rulings, Georgia could not extend its laws because that was a power in essence reserved to the federal government. The Cherokee were considered sovereign enough to legally resist the government of Georgia, and were encouraged to do so. However, the court carefully maintained that the Cherokee were ultimately dependent on the federal government and were not a true nation state, nor fully sovereign. Thus the dispute was made moot when federal legislation in the form of the Indian Removal Act exercised the federal government's legal power to handle the whole affair. Ironically, the series of decisions embarrassed Jackson politically, as Whigs attempted to use the issue in the 1832 election, but largely supported his earlier opinion that the "Indian Question" was one that was best handled by the federal government, and not local authorities. William Wirt (November 8, 1772 – February 18, 1834) was an American author and statesman who is credited with turning the position of United States Attorney General into one of influence. ... For other persons named James Monroe, see James Monroe (disambiguation). ... For other persons named John Adams, see John Adams (disambiguation). ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Cherokee Nation v. ... Holding States were not permitted to redraw the boundaries of Indian lands or forbid residence in those territories, because the Constitution granted sole authority to Congress to regulate relations with sovereign Indian tribes. ... John Marshall (September 24, 1755 – July 6, 1835) was an American statesman and jurist who shaped American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court a center of power. ...

In an unusual meeting in May 1832, Supreme Court Justice John McLean spoke with the Cherokee delegation offered his views on the Cherokee's situation. McLean's advice was to "remove and become a Territory with a patent in fee simple to the nation for all its lands, and a delegate in Congress, but reserving to itself the entire right of legislation and selection of all officers." John McLean (March 11, 1785 – April 4, 1861) was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice on the Ohio and U.S. Supreme Courts. ...

Ross versus the Ridge Party

McLean's advice precipitated a split within the Cherokee leadership as John Ridge and Elias Boudinot began to doubt Ross' leadership. In February 1833, Ridge wrote Ross advocating that the delegation dispatched to Washington that month should begin removal negotiations with Jackson. However, the Ridge and Ross did not have irreconcilable worldviews; both Ridge and Ross no longer believed that the Cherokee could fend off Georgian usurpation of Cherokee land. Although Ridge and Ross agreed on this point, they clashed about how best to serve the Cherokee Nation. John Ridge (1892 - June 1829, Indian Name: Yellow Bird) was the son of Major Ridge and a member of the Cherokee Tribe. ... Elias Boudinot Elias Boudinot (1800–1839) was a Cherokee Indian who started and edited the tribes first newspaper. ... Year 1833 (MDCCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

In this environment, Ross led a delegation to Washington in March 1834 in an attempt to negotiate alternatives to removal. Ross made several proposals, however, there is no indication that the Cherokee Nation would have approved any of Ross' plans, nor is there any reasonable expectation that Jackson would settle for any agreement short of removal. These offers, coupled with the proposition of a lengthy cross-continental trip indicate that Ross' strategy was to prolong negotiations on removal indefinitely, with the hope of wearing down Jackson's opposition to a treaty which did not result in Cherokee removal. Year 1834 (MDCCCXXXIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Ross' strategy was flawed, because it was susceptible to the United States making a treaty with a minority faction. On May 29, 1834, Ross received word from John H. Eaton, that a new delegation, including Major Ridge, John Ridge, Elias Boudinot, and Ross' younger Andrew, collectively the Ridge Party, had arrived in Washington with the goal of signing a treaty of removal. The two sides attempted reconciliation, but by October 1834 had still not come to an agreement. In January 1835 the factions were again in Washington, and pressured by the presence of the Ridge Party, Ross agreed on February 25, 1835 to exchange all Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi for land west of the Mississippi and twenty million dollars on the condition that the terms be accepted by the General Council. | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Lewis Cass, secretary of war, feeling that this was yet another ploy to delay action on removal for an additional year threatened to sign the treaty with John Ridge. On December 29, 1835, the Ridge Party, against the will of the majority of Cherokees signed the removal treaty with the U.S. Ross unsuccessfully lobbied against enforcement of the treaty, but those Cherokees who did not emigrate to the "Indian Territory" by 1838 were forced to do so by General Winfield Scott, an episode that came to be known as the "Trail of Tears." Accepting defeat, Ross convinced General Scott to have supervision of much of the removal process turned over to Ross. On the trail of tears Ross lost his wife, Quatie, a fullblooded Cherokee woman, of whom little is known, shortly before reaching Little Rock on the Arkansas River.^[16] Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782 – June 17, 1866) was an American military officer and politician. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Indian Territory in 1836 Indian Country redirects here. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses of Winfield Scott, see Winfield Scott (disambiguation). ... This monument at the New Echota Historic Site honors Cherokees who died on the Trail of Tears. ...

After Removal

In the Indian Territory, Ross helped draft a constitution for the entire Cherokee nation in 1839, and was chosen as chief of the nation. 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Civil War Period

Attempt at Neutrality

The American Civil War was a test for Ross to hold the nation together, preserve national rights acquired by treaties, and insure national welfare. However, as the southern states seceded and formed the Confederacy, mixed-blooded, slave-owning Cherokee who formed the core of the old Treaty Party banded together under the leadership of Stand Watie and pushed for a treaty with the new government. Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God, Our Vindicator) Anthem (none official) God Save the South (unofficial) The Bonnie Blue Flag (unofficial) Dixie (unofficial) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (until May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (from April 3, 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Religion... Stand Watie Stand Watie (12 December 1806 – 9 September 1871) (also known as Degataga stand firm and Isaac S. Watie) was a leader of the Cherokee Nation and a brigadier general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ...

The Cherokee civil war over the issues of acculturation and removal in the 1820's, 1830's, and 1840's, motivated Ross' overriding concern for unity. Furthermore, Ross understood that "the relations which the Cherokee people sustain toward their white brethren have been established by subsisting treaties with the United States..." The Cherokee right to land, self-government, and annuities from the sale of ancestral lands were all secured in treaties with the United States; they would be lost if the Cherokee Nation joined the Confederacy. Torn by treaties to the Union and sympathies to the Confederacy, Ross opted for a policy of neutrality as the best means of unifying the nation and ensuring that the rights of the Cherokee were not lost.

To advance this policy, Ross began, in February 1861, a vigorous campaign among the leaders of the Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek Nations which emphasized loyalty to the United States to protect their treaty rights. Although the policy of neutrality was a skillful attempt to spare the Cherokee the depredations of war and the potential loss of their precious rights, but by July 1861, Ross had been informed that "difficulties of a serious character existed...between half and full blood Cherokees..." Year 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Chickasaw (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Choctaw (disambiguation). ... The Creek are an American Indian people originally from the southeastern United States, also known by their original name Muscogee (or Muskogee), the name they use to identify themselves today. ...

Alliance with the Confederacy

Ross attempted to salvage the situation by convening the Executive Council on August 21, 1861, "for the purpose of devising means by which the people may become deeply impressed with the importance of being united in Sentiment & action for the welfare of our Common Country." Although Ross' address was devoted to explaining how the Cherokee' treaty relationship with the United States and ties to the Confederacy dictated the policy of neutrality, Ross concluded by stating, "in my opinion, the time has now arrived when you should signify your consent for the authorization of the nation to adopt preliminary steps for an alliance with the Confederate States..."

This shift in policy is in no way surprising when examined in context with traditional Cherokee political ethos. Any Cherokee leader would have been expected to calmly state and restate the same opinion until a consensus emerged, at which point all Cherokee would either accept the emerging sentiment or withdraw. Ross perceived the forces pushing for ties with the Confederacy to be in the majority; in traditional Cherokee style, he acceded to the majority sentiment in order to preserve unity and harmony.

The new policy, however, not only exposed the Cherokee to the depredations of war, it failed to achieve the desired unity. The state of affairs was beyond the ability of one man to control, and it overwhelmed Ross' attempts to keep the Cherokee unified. Before the end of 1861, the Civil War had infected Indian territory; the failure of Ross to shield the five nations was complete. But the Cherokees had chosen the wrong ally to defend the nation's rights, for despite Ross' protestations the South could not protect the Cherokee Nation, which was invaded by the Union army in July 1862. The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... This article is about 1862 . ...

Return to the Union

With this defeat, the Cherokee nation was abandoned by the Confederacy. Fearing the loss of the rights they had sacrificed their ancestral lands for, Ross led a large segment of the population back to allegiance to the Union cause. Following this, a regiment of Cherokee men, enlisted in the Union Army and Ross was conducted to Washington, where the Cherokee leadership hoped he could "advocate our cause, to represent us [in Washington] and exert all your influence to preserve our nationality and our rights."

Rose Cottage, the antebellum home of John Ross, at Park Hill. It was burned by Stand Watie's troops in 1863.

In a letter to President Lincoln before his arrival in Washington, Ross outlined a six-point defense of Cherokee rights based on the mutual observance of treaty obligations. The skillfully crafted argument absolved Cherokee disloyalty by claiming the treaties were abrogated by the failure of the United States to fulfill the promises it had contracted. Lincoln, a trained lawyer, expressed doubt about the logic of Ross' arguments, and was unwilling to accede to the claim that the United States had special obligations to the Cherokee. But Lincoln did acknowledge the Cherokee's general right to protection by the government. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Park Hill is a census-designated place located in Cherokee County, Oklahoma. ... Stand Watie Stand Watie (12 December 1806 – 9 September 1871) (also known as Degataga stand firm and Isaac S. Watie) was a leader of the Cherokee Nation and a brigadier general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ... For other uses, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation). ...

Ross stayed in Washington from October 1862 through July 1865 working to defend Cherokee treaty rights and ensure the welfare of the nation for the duration of the war. The government-in-exile received grievances and updates from citizens who remained in the nation, while Ross, who gained access to members of Congress and the Executive, lobbied to aid the Cherokee as well as the other western nations. Although Ross was able to establish and maintain correspondences with Lincoln, Edwin M. Stanton, secretary of war, and William P. Dole, commissioner of Indian Affairs, his task remained arduous. His pleas received sympathetic hearing, but he had not convinced the government of its obligations to the Cherokees. Ultimately, Ross was successful in getting Cherokee regiments armed in the defense of the nation, which allowed the Cherokee to return, however, he was never successful in settling the Cherokees' rights with the United States. 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Running Machine An 1864 cartoon featuring Stanton, William Fessenden, Abraham Lincoln, William Seward and Gideon Welles takes a swing at the Lincoln administration. ...

Conclusion

In his final annual message on October 1865, Ross assessed the Cherokee experience during the civil war and his performance as chief. The Cherokee could "have the proud satisfaction of knowing that we honestly strove to preserve the peace within our borders, but when this could not be done,...borne a gallant part in the defense...of the cause which has been crowned with such signal success."

Ross died on August 1, 1866 in Washington.

Charles R. Hicks, longtime Second Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation and briefly Principal Chief himself in 1827 following the death of Pathkiller with John Ross as Second Principal Chief, before his own death just a few shorts weeks later brought that to an end. ... Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation is the title of the chief executive of the Cherokee Nation. ... Willaim P. Ross was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. ...

Notes

1. ^ The Correspondence of Andrew Jackson, Volume V 1833-1838, ed. John Spencer Bassett (Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1931), p. 350
2. ^ Thomas L. McKenny and James Hall, The Indian Tribes of North America, Volume III. (Edinburgh: John Grant, 1934), p. 310.
3. ^ Emmet Starr, notes for History of the Cherokee Indians. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Historical Society, Gilbert Eaton Govan and James W. Livingood, The Chattanooga Country, 1540-1951. (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1952), pp. 26-27.
4. ^ Gary E. Moulton, John Ross, Cherokee Chief. (Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 1978), p. 5.
5. ^ The Papers of Chief John Ross, Volume I, ed. Gary E. Moulton (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985), p. 5.
6. ^ The Cherokee Nation jointly owned all land; however, improvements on the land could be sold or willed.
7. ^ Ibid., pp. 457, 465.
8. ^ Moulton, John Ross, Cherokee Chief, p. 23.
9. ^ The Papers of Chief John Ross, Volume I, 1807-1839, p. 32.
10. ^ Moulton, John Ross, Cherokee Chief, p. 15, Fred O. Gearing, Priests and Warriors: Social Structures for Cherokee Politics in the Eighteenth Century, (Menasha, Wisconsin: 1962), p. 40.
11. ^ Moulton, John Ross, Cherokee Chief, p. 20.
12. ^ This assertion is based on the records of the Congressional Serial Set, which are incomplete. However, the dates of extant memorials lend support ot the idea that the Cherokee were the first nation to use Congress as a means of support.
13. ^ The Memoirs of John Quincy Adams, Volume 6, p. 373.
14. ^ Ibid.
15. ^ The Papers of Chief John Ross, Volume I, 1807-1839, p. 78.
16. ^ At the time of her death, Quatie was buried in the Little Rock town cemetery, however, her remains were later moved to Mt. Holly Cemetery.

For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Downtown Oklahoma City The State Capitol of Oklahoma From The South Motto: Nickname: Capital of the New Century Founded 1889 Incorporated County Oklahoma County Cleveland County Canadian County Borough {{{borough}}} Parrish {{{parrish}}} Mayor Mick Cornett Area  - Total  - Water 1,608. ... “NY” redirects here. ... Bizzell Library, University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma, is the county seat and largest city in Cleveland County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

Further reading

Primary sources

• Dale, Edwards Everett. Cherokee Cavaliers; Forty Years of Cherokee History as Told in the Correspondences of the Ridge-Watie-Boudinot Family. Norman, University of Oklahoma Press, 1939.
• McKenny, Thomas Loraine. The Indian Tribes of North America with Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of the Principal Chief. Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman and Littlefield, 1972.
• Ross, John. The Papers of Chief John Ross. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1985.

Secondary Sources

• Gearing, Fred O. Priests and Warriors: Social Structures for Cherokee Politics in the Eighteenth Century. Menasha, Wisconsin, 1962.
• McLoughlin, William G. Cherokees and Missionaries, 1789-1839. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984.
• Moulton, Gary E. John Ross Cherokee Chief. Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 1978.
• Prucha, Francis Paul. The Great Father: The United States Government and the American Indians I. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1984.

Triva

The City of Chattanooga named the Market Street Bridge in his honor. The Market Street Bridge, officially refered to as the John Ross Bridge, is a bascule bridge that spans the Tennessee River between Chattanooga and North Chattanooga, Tennessee. ...