After the Trail of Tears: The Cherokees' Struggle for Sovereignty, 1839-1880 [Paperback]

William G. McLoughlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1994

This powerful narrative traces the social, cultural, and political history of the Cherokee Nation during the forty-year period after its members were forcibly removed from the southern Appalachians and resettled in what is now Oklahoma. In this master work, completed just before his death, William McLoughlin not only explains how the Cherokees rebuilt their lives and society, but also recounts their fight to govern themselves as a separate nation within the borders of the United States.

Long regarded by whites as one of the 'civilized' tribes, the Cherokees had their own constitution (modeled after that of the United States), elected officials, and legal system. Once re-settled, they attempted to reestablish these institutions and continued their long struggle for self-government under their own laws—an idea that met with bitter opposition from frontier politicians, settlers, ranchers, and business leaders. After an extremely divisive fight within their own nation during the Civil War, Cherokees faced internal political conflicts as well as the destructive impact of an influx of new settlers and the expansion of the railroad. McLoughlin brings the story up to 1880, when the nation's fight for the right to govern itself ended in defeat at the hands of Congress.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

An expert chronicle of the final triumphs and troubles of the Cherokee Nation before its integrity was destroyed by the US Congress in the 1880's--and the crowning achievement in the distinguished career of the late McLoughlin (History and Religion/Brown). Forced in the 1830's to abandon ancestral lands in the Deep South, the Cherokees suffered terribly on the Trail of Tears but arrived in their new home west of the Mississippi with their national identity largely intact. Led by the mixed-blood John Ross, they encountered hostility from Cherokees already established in the area, and a bloody factional struggle ensued that was settled only by treaty in 1846. Rebuilding what they had lost during their removal, the unified Cherokee Nation established schools, farms, and towns, becoming stable without much help from Washington. But resentment of prospering, English-speaking mixed-bloods by more traditional (and poorer) full-bloods--who saw their heritage imperiled by the former's assimilationist tendencies--was fanned by the sectarian slave crisis in the US. Further bitter infighting erupted as Cherokees took sides during the Civil War and, after Ross's death in 1866, no leader of his stature emerged to safeguard sovereignty as successfully as he had. Under increasing pressure by railroad and other interests, the Cherokees saw their internal division continue to fester, ultimately leaving them unable to resist demands that their new homeland be turned into a territory for settlement. Tightly focused and painstakingly detailed, as well as deeply sympathetic: the definitive history of the Cherokees in their desperate last stand against white encroachment. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

An expert chronicle . . . and the crowning achievement in the distinguished career of the late McLoughlin.

Kirkus Reviews

A new standard work for decades to come.

Journal of Southern History

A compelling study that should appeal to general readers as well as scholars.

Southern Cultures

The late William G. McLoughlin . . . details as no other historian has the revitalization of a southern Indian nation after removal.

North Carolina Historical Review

McLoughlin's analysis of Cherokee politics is nuanced, critical, and acute.

Mary Young, University of Rochester

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807844330
• ISBN-13: 978-0807844335
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive history, October 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: After the Trail of Tears: The Cherokees' Struggle for Sovereignty, 1839-1880 (Paperback)

The continuing story of the Cherokees after their arrival in present day Oklahoma. A story of the conflicts both within and outside of the Cherokee Nation. The story of how the Cherokees battled to maintain their sovereignty and ultimately failed. Meticulously researched by McLoughlin through primary sources, an excellent history for anyone interested in Native American or Cherokee history. An typical example of what happened to all tribes in America.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind!, September 11, 2003

By 

Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: After the Trail of Tears: The Cherokees' Struggle for Sovereignty, 1839-1880 (Hardcover)

This book, as far as I know, is the only one that explores the fascinating history of the Cherokees after they reached Oklohoma. We all know of the 'trail of tears' where the cherokees were removed from Georgia and forced to march to Oklohoma. This book tells the great story of their attempts ot civilize the land. How they built homes how they bought slaves and how they fought with neighbooring indians(who looked like savages to the new americanized Cherokee). The Cherokees fought in the civil war and even fought civil wars among themselves. This book details the hatred of the pure blood cherokees for their brethen who seemed more white and scottish then the others. The cherokee nation then was oborbed into the state of oklohoma when the Indian territory was aboloshed. This is an extraordinary tail of a hitherto unknown american story about one of americas most talked about, but seldom understood and studied, indian tribes, the noble civilized cultured Cherokee(who so many people claim to be descended from that a modern Indian joke goes "what do you get when you have 40 Cherokees in one room? One full blooded Indian").

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kinda Misleading., January 11, 2010

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J. Raincrow (NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: After the Trail of Tears: The Cherokees' Struggle for Sovereignty, 1839-1880 (Paperback)

Read this book after reading another. John Ross is portrayed in quite a different light in each book. He is portrayed positively in this one. After reading both books I am under the impression that John Ross meant well but did several things wrong and was not respected by the U.S. government but instead exploited by them. He seemed to always do what was best for himself and say it was what was best for his people.