One of the largest tribes of Native

One of the largest tribes of Native Americans is the Cherokee. The
Cherokee moved in to the southeastern U.S., possibly as late as the
1500s, from the North. By the 1700s, the Cherokee had become trading
partners with the British colonists.
During the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Cherokees began adopting
the Anglo-American culture. About 1809, Sequoyah, a Cherokee
silversmith, began developing a written language for the tribe. This was
a major advancement, as it was the fi rst written language for a Native
American tribe in the U.S. or Canada.
The Cherokee owned large amount of land in Georgia, Tennessee,
North Carolina and South Carolina. Settlers moving west wanted these
lands. In 1838, President Martin Van Buren ordered troops to force over
16,000 Cherokee to leave. They were sent to Indian Territory, in what
is now Oklahoma. This removal is called the Trail of Tears, since many
Cherokee died during the journey.
In the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory, the tribe established
schools, hospitals and a newspaper. Today, Cherokee members live
mostly in Oklahoma, North Carolina and the
West Coast.