Race and the Cherokee Nation Sovereignty in the Nineteenth Century
Randal Hall, "Race and the Cherokee Nation: Sovereignty in the Nineteenth Century"
English | 2008 | pages: 195 | ISBN: 0812240561 | PDF | 1,0 mb
"We believe by blood only," said a Cherokee resident of Oklahoma, speaking to reporters in 2007 after voting in favor of the Cherokee Nation constitutional amendment limiting its membership. In an election that made headlines around the world, a majority of Cherokee voters chose to eject from their tribe the descendants of the African American freedmen Cherokee Indians had once enslaved. Because of the unique sovereign status of Indian nations in the United States, legal membership in an Indian nation can have real economic benefits. In addition to money, the issues brought forth in this election have racial and cultural roots going back before the Civil War.