No!^°?r' ^^^' ^^^ WAHNENAUHI MANUSCRIPT — KILPATRICK 205 



The declarations of the Government, and of the Indian Agents, had 

 been always directed to one point, — that was, to satisfy the Cherokees 

 that the Government would deal justly and fairly with the Indians, 

 and would perform all its engagements to secm-e to them the perma- 

 nent possession of their Country. They had been constantly urged 

 to become farmers, to educated their children, and to form a regular 

 Government for themselves, and all this they had done. — In 1826 

 this opinion was written by a Missionary, a faithful friend of the 

 Cherokees, — ■ 



"It is now too late to talk of the impracticability of Indian civiliza- 

 tion, 



Strangers who pass through the Nation now, and who had passed 

 through it several years ago, are often heard to express their astonish- 

 ment at the change which has taken place." — 



"The mass of the people in their dress, houses, furniture, agricul- 

 tural implements, manner of cultivating the soil, raising stock, pro- 

 viding for their families and in their estimate of the value of an educa- 

 tion, would not suffer by a comparison with the whites in the neigh- 

 boring settlements. "P^] 



The mass of the people had practically embraced Christianity. 



Intemperance had been checked — some, notoriously intemperate, 

 had been reformed. 



Owing partly to political disturbances, the encouraging aspect of 

 the Nation became clouded with confusion and depression. The 

 Public men manifested much firmness and dignity of character, and 

 remained steadfast friends to the moral and intellectual elevation of 

 their people; and advised them to remain at home, quietly attending 

 to their usual business of farming and taking care of their stock. 



They firmly believed that the United States would fulfil its treaty 

 obligations, and protect them in their homes. 



Since 1819 the Cherokees had refused to sell any more land.[^*] 



Gold had been found in some parts of the Nation, and this fact, by 

 exciting the cupidity of the Whites, had brought to a crisis the circum- 

 stances which resulted in the removal. P^l 



In 1827, Georgia assumed an arrogant attitude towards the Chero- 

 kees, declaring that they had no title to the land, only that of occu- 

 pancy, determinable at the pleasure of Georgia, that she had a perfect 

 title by right of discovery, to all the land within her chartered limits, 

 that the United States were bound to extinguish the Indian title. 



•' We cannot identify this quotation, doubtless from some missionary journal. 

 '* The cession of 1819 was agreed to by the Treaty of Washington on February 27, 1819. 

 8' Starkey (1946, pp. 110-111) states that gold was first discovered by a child near Dalonega In 1815 and 

 rediscovered in 1828 or 1829. By 1830, 4,000 Whites had intruded into the goldflelds. 

 747-014 — 66 14 



