The Cherokees and the Constitution
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/lev92023136282Keywords:
Cherokee Nation, Supreme Court, Indian removal, Andrew Jackson, U.S. Constitution, Trail of TearsAbstract
During the 1820s a volatile political landscape emerged in the United States, which threatened the established balance of power between the branches of the federal government. This political and constitutional unrest was exemplified in the debate regarding the Indian Removal Act (1830) and two court cases concerning the removal of the Cherokee Nation from the State of Georgia. Although the court cases were about the sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation and Georgia’s jurisdiction, they revealed fundamental questions about the rights of the federal government and the individual states, and also the right of the individual branches of government. The Supreme Court’s powers were challenged by President Andrew Jackson and the Congress, but in the court rulings the Supreme Court asserted Cherokee sovereignty and its own authority as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution by rejecting the President and Congress’ attempt to limit the Supreme Court’s power.
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