The Cherokee Cases

by Norgren, Jill

• ISBN13: 9780806136066
• ISBN10: 0806136065
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of Oklahoma Pr

Summary

This compact history is the first to explore two landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases of the early 1830s: Cherokee Nation v. Georgiaand Worcester v. Georgia. Legal historian Jill Norgren details the extraordinary story behind these cases, describing how John Ross and other leaders of the Cherokee Nation, having internalized the principles of American law, tested their sovereignty rights before Chief Justice John Marshall in the highest court of the land. The Cherokees' goal was to solidify these rights and to challenge the aggressive actions that the government and people of Georgia carried out against them under the aegis of law. Written in a style accessible both to students and to general readers, The Cherokee Casesis an ideal guide to understanding the political development of the Cherokee Nation in the early nineteenth century and the tragic outcome of these cases so critical to the establishment of U.S. federal Indian law.

Author Biography

Jill Norgren is Professor Emerita of government and legal studies at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Preface	ix
Introduction	1	(10)
Who Came First Was Not All That Mattered	11	(30)
Prelude to Litigation	41	(22)
The Age of Jackson	63	(24)
The Test of Cherokee Legal Rights Begins	87	(25)
A Decision on Indian Sovereignty	112	(30)
Conclusion: The Life of Landmark Litigation	142	(13)
Appendix I: The State v. George Tassels	155	(10)
Appendix II: The Cherokee Nation v. The State of Georgia	165	(5)
Appendix III: Samuel A. Worcester v. The State of Georgia	170	(17)
Endnotes	187	(15)
Suggested Readings	202	(5)
Index	207