Final answer:
John Ross witnessed his Cherokee Nation threatened by Georgia's expansionist policies and the U.S. government's Indian removal agenda, leading to the displacement of the Cherokee people and the tragic Trail of Tears.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Ross, as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, faced significant pressures threatening his people, particularly the aggressive expansionist policies enacted by the state of Georgia and the federal government's Indian removal agenda. Georgia declared sovereignty over Cherokee lands, undermined the Cherokee governing structure, and enacted laws to displace the Cherokee people. This culminated in the notorious Trail of Tears, despite Ross's resistance and the legal victory in Worcester v. Georgia, which had ruled that non-Native Americans could not enter tribal lands without permission. The Georgia Guard was created to enforce state laws on Cherokee territory, and even the press for the Cherokee Phoenix was forcibly shut down. Ross continued to lead his nation against removal, confronting the Treaty of New Echota—a treaty he deemed fraudulent—as it was signed by a faction without the authority of the majority Cherokee population. Ultimately, President Andrew Jackson and his successor, Martin Van Buren, enforced the removal leading to thousands of deaths during the journey west.