The Eastern Band of Cherokees, 1819-1900

Book excerpt: This volume presents the story of the Eastern Band of Cherokees during the nineteenth century. This group - the tribal remnant in North Carolina that escaped removal in the 1830's - found their fortitude and resilience continually tested as they struggled with a variety of problems, including the upheavals of the Civil War and Reconstruction, internal divisiveness, white encroachment on their lands, and a poorly defined relationship with the state and federal governments. Yet despite such stresses and a selective adaptation in the face of social and economic changes, the Eastern Cherokees retained a sense of tribal identity as they stood at the threshold of the twentieth century.