Jackson, Marshall, and Indian Removal

This WebQuest is intended to work with  Washington State's Middle School Level Classroom Based Assesment for Social Studies Checks and Balances: http://www.k12.wa.us/SocialStudies/CBAs/MiddleSchool.aspx

Tribal Sovereignty:  Tribal sovereignty refers to the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves.

In United States history, the mid-nineteenth century proved a challenging and tragic time for Native people.  With the United States seeking to expand west, the United States government saw many tribes like the Cherokee as barriers to progress.  The sovereign status of tribes in the United States was continually challenged as states and the federal government sought to remove Indians from their ancestral homes.

In 1832, the state of Georgia passed laws requiring white missionaries to have licenses to remain on Cherokee land.  Many missionaries, including Samuel Worchester, were sympathetic to the Cherokee and challenged the law saying that Georgia could not make laws governing activities on Cherokee land.  They argued that the Cherokee were a sovereign nation and not subject to the laws of the state of Georgia. Worchester's challenge made it all the way to the Supreme Court.

You will be assigned a role as either:

1. Defender of the Cherokee nation, who believes the perpetual intrusion upon the Cherokee by Georgia and the US government violates the Constitution, or
2. One who believes that the United States has the Constitutional right to relocate Indians to avoid conflict and ensure American progress.

Your task is to write a legal brief (position statement), in the form of a Power Point presentation.  This brief will be addressed to John Marshall's Supreme Court - defending your beliefs and persuading the court to take your side on the issue.