modeled after that of theUnited States was added two years later. Many Cherokee became prosperous farmers with comfortable houses, beautiful cultivatedfields, and large herds of livestock. Christian missionaries arrived by invitation, andSequoia invented an alphabet that gave them a written language and overnight made mostof the Cherokee literate. They published a newspaper, established a court system, and builtschools. An inventory of Cherokee property in 1826 revealed: 1,560 black slaves. 22,000cattle, 7,600 horses, 46,000 swine, 2,500 sheep, 762 looms, 2,488 spinning wheels, 172wagons, 2,942 plows, 10 sawmills, 31 grist mills, 62 blacksmith shops, 8 cotton machines,18 schools, and 18 ferries. Although the poor Cherokee still lived in simple log cabins,Chief John Ross had a $10,000 house designed by a Philadelphia architect. In fact, manyCherokee were more prosperous and 'civilized' than their increasingly envious whiteneighbors. Although the leadership of the eastern Cherokee steadfastly maintained their independenceand land base, they felt it was important to reach an accommodation with the Americans.They refused Tecumseh's requests for Indian unity in 1811, ignored a call for war from theRed Stick Creek in 1813, and then fought as American allies during the Creek War(1813-14). 800 Cherokee under Major Ridge were with Jackson's army at HorseshoeBend in 1814, and according one account, a Cherokee warrior saved Jackson's life duringthe battle. If Jackson was grateful, he never allowed it to show. At the Fort JacksonTreaty ending the war (1814), Jackson demanded huge land cessions from both theCherokee and Creek. As allies, the Cherokee must have been stunned at this treatment,and reluctantly agreed only after a series of four treaties signed during 1816 and 1817. The Cherokee government afterwards became even more determined not to surrender anymore land, but things were moving against them. In 1802 Cherokee land had beenpromised by ...
