In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act authorizing the president to negotiate treaties with Native nations in order to relocate them to land west of the Mississippi and open their lands to white settlement. 

In response, the Cherokee resisted relocation, but individuals within the Cherokee Nation did so in different ways. To help students gain a broader understanding of how Native Americans responded to this removal,  iCivics has released a new DBQuest examining the response of one group, the Cherokee Nation, and how they advocated for their sovereignty. In this DBQuest, students will examine speeches made by members of the Cherokee, Elias Boudinot and Major Ridge; as well as a petition to the U.S. Congress disputing the Treaty of New Echota.

Through primary sources, this DBQuest amplifies Cherokee voices and helps students explore the complicated relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the United States, as well as relationships among the Cherokee people. 

Great for remote learning, our new DBQuest allows students to:

• Describe how the Cherokee used a variety of means to protect their sovereignty.
• Recognize that a group of people, such as the Cherokee Nation, is not a monolithic group and does not all think the same way.
• Identify each type of source, its author and purpose.
• Use evidence from informational texts to support analysis and answer questions.
• Develop historical empathy.

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