Introduction
Earlier in this unit, you learned about Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States was destined to expand its boundaries from “sea to shining sea”. This belief led to increased westward expansion throughout the 19th century and is one of the main reasons Americans celebrate accomplishments like the Louisiana Purchase.
However, it is equally important to consider the perspective of the Native American tribes who had a very different view of Manifest Destiny. From the earliest European exploration and settlement, Native Americans were increasingly forced to leave their ancestral lands to accommodate white settlement with no help from the governments that promised to protect them.
In this lesson, you will specifically learn about the Cherokee nation, including their attempts to accommodate and appease the white settlers while being forcefully and violently removed from their homelands.
Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...
- Examine the Cherokee Nation’s perspective on Manifest Destiny and their response to forced removal
Essential Questions
- How were the freedoms and traditions of Native American peoples negatively impacted by white settlement and U.S. expansion?
Enduring Understandings
- American nationalism and the development of a uniquely American ideology influenced the court system, foreign affairs and Westward expansion and shaped the identity of America in the first half of the 19th century..
The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: United States History I standards: 7