New Yesterdays by Jim L Wright - HTML preview

Chapter 21

Monk's Corner was an old settlement, nearly 100 years old. It had been settled by French Protestant Huguenots and was now a sleepy little village consisting of a trading post, a few stores and taverns. The inhabitants were primarily farmers. The Santee Tavern was chosen as a meeting place because it was the largest in the little village. Situated near the Santee Canal, Monk's Corner, especially the taverns enjoyed some commerce from the barges and boats taking cotton and other goods downriver for export.

Secretary of War, James Barbour stood before the Red Chiefs with his entourage. His overgrown bushy eyebrows cast his deep-set eyes in shadow. His long, flowing hair had gone mostly white and in his fastidious dress he looked positively regal. He opposed the forced location of the native people in favor of integration into white society. In these first two years of his tenure as Secretary of War he had spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with the recalcitrant governor of Georgia, George Troup who desperately wanted to cleanse the northern part of his state of all Indian presence. Following the abrogation of a treaty that would have removed the Indians from more than 5 million acres of land, the governor had threatened to invade against the natives. Barbour himself had purchased most of the land from the Creeks which enraged Troup. Barbour's typical white arrogance led him to believe the Indian culture would be discarded and the people assimilated into white "civilization". Uncertain of the terms the Cherokee might dictate, his words were few and measured.

"Much time and work has gone into the creation of a society where the white man and the red man can live together in peace. Our government, citizens and churches have endeavored to help the Indians become equal parts of society.

“While many have made some progress toward that end, a great deal of work is yet to be done. The recent unprovoked attacks on forts, towns

and villages across the countryside are unacceptable and counterproductive to our ends.

“What the Cherokee and Seminole people hope to gain by the wanton destruction of towns and the deaths of our citizens is a mystery that we must solve before we end our deliberations in this place. To that end, I yield the floor to Chief John Ross.”

Ross, also known by his Cherokee name, Guwisguwi had ridden long and hard from his home at Ross's Landing in eastern Tennessee to attend the peace conference. He was keenly aware that the Cherokee stood on a narrow precipice. Never in the history of the European settlers had the Principal People held such a military advantage. He was determined to exploit the situation for the fullest benefit of the Cherokee people. Ross cut a handsome figure in his black coat and burgundy waistcoat. His finely chiseled olive features were crowned by a full head of lustrous black hair. He moved to the center of the room with the graceful assurance of a man who knows he is about to achieve not only his own destiny, but that of his people.

The Principal Chief, born of mixed Scots-Cherokee heritage was well educated and a highly respected orator. Since 1818 he had represented the Cherokee people as president of the National Committee. He had diplomatically rebuffed requests by the United States to cede Cherokee lands. In response to an ultimatum issued by Secretary of War, John C Calhoun to relinquish their lands in Georgia, Ross shocked the nation by boldly making a direct appeal to Congress to rule on the limits of the already ceded lands and to clarify the right of the Cherokee to the remaining lands. He had dispensed with the subservient tones taken by his predecessors and assertively defended the Cherokee claims.

After looking at each member of the white delegation in turn, he began,

"Looking back over the past two hundred years since the arrival of the Europeans, there is nothing good to see, but very much that is lamentable. When the White European settlers came to this place many native tribes lived here. In general, they lived in peace with each other and in harmony with nature. Each nation had its territory and all the tribes recognized and respected those territories. When the whites came and found our ancestors living here, they began to systematically murder the native people and take their lands from them. They felt then, and you feel now, that your God has given this right to you and has given this country to you to use as you see fit. Many thousands of years ago the Creator placed us on these lands where we have lived together and kept the lands in the condition they were given. Now you tell us that our God is false and we no longer have the right to possess these lands. They are yours to exploit and use solely for your own benefit. Again and again, we have given up lands to the settlers, and how have those cessions been answered? With one voice, the European settlers have cried "More land! More land!" until we have almost nothing left.

"You came from a place across the water where you were unable, or unwilling, to live in peace with your fellow man because of hatred, distrust and religious disharmony. When you brought your families and belongings off the ships you also brought that hatred, distrust and religious disharmony with you. In your eyes we are "bloodthirsty savages" because we fight to keep what is rightfully ours. In your eyes our religion is inferior to yours and we must convert to your religion and worship your God. Our philosophy, culture, traditions and government do not comply with your twisted ideas and must, therefore be abolished. Treaties that you have made with us and other tribes in the past have been routinely broken because your ideas of colonial rights of discovery and conquest by a superior race allow you to consider your agreements with the native people to be invalid. The agreements we have made with the government ceding our lands also promised protection for the native people in exchange for limiting our fighting forces. In repayment for that agreement, they steal or destroy our property from us and drive off our stock. And yet, you consider us the "inferior bloodthirsty savages"!

"Your history is filled with wars fought over ideas and land. It is filled with slavery and mistreatment of your fellow human beings. Your God

teaches you to love one another as you love yourselves and at the same time he tells you to travel to foreign lands and kill "ignorant heathens" because their beliefs and culture are not the same as yours.

"The government of the United States claims to respect the sovereignty of the native people, but they work constantly to destroy it. Your own General Andrew Jackson considers the native people as subjects of the United States and that the United States may occupy and possess any part of the territory! According to him the White Europeans have the right to take and dispose of the lands in any way they see fit.

"You came to what you call a "new world" as though this country has laid here waiting for many thousands of years for your arrival. The rights and sovereignty of the native peoples who live here are little more than minor irritants in your quest for more land that you will fight each other for when you have destroyed us completely. This is not a "new world". The Creator made all the earth at the same time. He placed us in our lands when he placed you in yours.

"The treaty of sovereignty we are here to discuss today is not negotiable on one single point. The lands of the Cherokee extending from the northern Blue Smoke Mountains southward to her foothills, and the Seminole lands from the foothills of the Blue Smoke Mountains to the sea will remain the sole possession of the Cherokee and the Seminole. They will not be part of, or subject to the laws of the United States, but sovereign, independent nations with the same rights and privileges you enjoy as an independent nation. We reserve the right to enter into treaties and free trade with the United States and any other nation. We also reserve the right to defend our nation against the encroachment of the White European settlers who are here now and who may come in the future. Any counter-offer by the United States government and President Adams will be rejected without consideration.”

Ross paused briefly for effect, and defiantly stared directly at Barbour before continuing.

"Many words have been spoken here today. Finally, I remind you that neither we Cherokee nor the Seminoles are the foreigners, but are native to these lands. The lands we occupy are our own. The United States were created on Indian territory and we will not recognize their sovereignty! The Cherokee have the right to live on the lands that have not been ceded, and your government has guaranteed our title, and as we have made clear to you before, we have no intention of ceding even another foot of land! These are the final words on this subject.

"The terms of the treaty are very simple. The territories you call South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida will become now and forever independent, sovereign nations free of the jurisdiction of the United States. All white European settlers will be removed from the nations and relocated within the boundaries of the United States. This treaty of peace and separation will be signed at this place called Monk's Corner as soon as practicable and removal of the foreign citizens will be taken up immediately."

His speech finished, Principal Chief Ross lifted the parchment document he had worked so slavishly to prepare for this moment and presented it to Secretary Barbour.

The representatives of Washington sat in shocked silence as they watched Ross return to his chair. They were shocked by the audacity of the Indians but recent events had shown them that the native people were very well armed and organized. That all-out war would ensue should the treaty be rejected was a given.

Quietly and proudly, Ross settled back on his chair. Every Cherokee and Seminole eye in the tavern shone with pride in the words spoken by their Principal Chief. There was little doubt that the white man must accept the Indian terms unless they wanted a war the like of which they had never seen in this territory.

The tavern was quiet. No one was quite sure how to respond to the eloquence of the Cherokee Principal Chief. At last, Secretary Barbour stood and cleared his throat. His tone was curt, but not quite dismissive.

"We will meet again in this place in five days’ time to deliver President Adams' decision on your demands."

With that, he strode out of the tavern followed quickly by his entourage. He spotted a passing slave and snapped orders to bring their horses.

Within three minutes the Washington group was galloping north out of Monk's Corner.

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