The old capital of the Cherokee Nation is part restoration, part reconstruction. It includes a small and beautifully designed welcome center with well done interpretive panels and artifacts telling the story of the Cherokee Nation and the removal of the Cherokee people to the “Indian Territory” (destined to become the state of Oklahoma) in 1838, the “Trail of Tears.”
Buildings include a council house, homes, outbuildings, a blacksmith shop and the log structure duplicating the original place where the nation’s newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix, was printed. A printing press from the period is inside . The story told here is at the heart of the often oppressive racism that led to the tragic “Trail of Tears” as the Cherokees, more than 13,000 people, were forced to undertake a difficult and dangerous journey to the “Indian Territory” of Oklahoma.
Like most historic sites, New Echota inspires reflection and study, not only for school children but for adults as well. Often overlooked by visitors is the implication of the title “Capital of the Cherokee Nation.” The adoption of a constitution-largely inspired by the US Constitution- really marks the beginning of Cherokee efforts to stave off removal by emulating to some extent the world around them-that is, life as practiced in the deep south states and the United States as a whole.
Embracing the European model on which Georgia and the United States are based, the Cherokees became a people of written laws, created a police force to maintain order and to keep interlopers, criminals and adventurers out of their domain. That effort produced strong reactions among whites.
Progress toward “modernization” included establishing a permanent capital, having an elective (all male) assembly and tolerating the practice of using African slave labor on the lands of some of the wealthier Cherokee land owners. Recall that slavery was also legal in the United States and widely practiced in many of the states, including (but not exclusively) those that would make up the Confederacy. Cotton could be grown in the river valleys where the elevation was less than about 3,000 feet. The Cherokee domain was mostly in the “Ridge and Valley” region. where the mountainous ridges are widely separated by broad river valleys.
Largely because of the efforts of missionaries , mostly Moravians, a substantial percentage of Cherokees were Christians and the “Trail of Tears” would take on biblical overtones in the eyes of many Cherokees -as well as in the eyes of many white Christians throughout the United States.
The Moravians who lived at New Echota and who operated a school. differed in many ways from the protestant christians in the rest of Georgia. Their tradition carried deep respect for nature and for intellectual development, especially science. Perhaps this encouraged the Cherokees to permit their influence and presence in the Cherokee Nation. To Georgia authorities, the Moravians were an alien and suspect people who were inspiring Cherokee “conceits” about becoming “civilized” and creating their own “state.”
Ultimately, of course, a removal treaty was forced upon a majority of Cherokees and was narrowly approved by the United States Senate. Pro-treaty advocates and an anti-treaty faction would eventually carry this dispute with them to Oklahoma with violent consequences. A series of appeals to the Supreme Court availed the Cherokee nothing. Even as the court reversed itself in recognizing the legitimacy of Cherokee claims, the president, Andrew Jackson, refused to enforce the court’s edict. Faced with threats to “nullify” federal laws and even talk of secession over import duties and restricting the spread of slavery, Jackson had little inclination to carry out the court’s ruling. In truth, he was not in sympathy and had built his political career on driving Native Americans off their lands – a precursor to the “Manfest Destiny” that would carry America’s territorial ambitions to the Pacific.
The Cherokee Nation existed on the horns of a dilemma. The Cherokee “nation” (as determined by the state of Georgia and by the national government) could not exist as a sovereign state within the boundaries of the US and the state of Georgia. Would modernization lead to an accommodation ? –or only inflame the anti-Indian passions of those who hoped to profit from the lands in question. Successful large- scale farming (plantations) and the discovery of gold in the Cherokee Nation inspired ambitions and envy among white Georgians. It is clear that the proclamation of Cherokee nationhood instantly became an irritant and fueled Georgia’s determination to expel the Cherokees and confiscate their homes and farms.
New Echota is a place that inspires reflection. In those shoulder seasons of spring and fall, it is quite beautiful and the morning temperatures are the ideal time to walk among the beautiful buildings and stand in the shade of its oaks and pines. The setting is calming. The history is troubling., but the story of the Cherokees is inspiring.
Near Calhoun, Georgia, and an easy drive from Atlanta or Chattanooga on I-75, is the Georgia State Historic Site of New Echota. Use this link to reach the site’s information on the web: https://gastateparks.org/New.Echota.