The Cherokee Nation's constitution of 1827 and efforts at acculturation were attempts to resist removal and maintain sovereignty, yet the state of Georgia and settlers sought their land, leading to the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears.
- In 1827, the Cherokee Nation drafted and ratified its constitution, which provides insight into their priorities at that time.
- This constitution reflected their efforts to establish a governing structure similar to that of the United States, with a three-branch system of government.
- Moreover, this move was a strategic method of resisting the removal and pressure from the state of Georgia.
- The Cherokee Phoenix newspaper, published in both English and the Cherokee language, as well as the adoption of Christian practices and Western-style farming signaled their attempts at acculturation in the pursuit of survival.
- Despite these efforts, the discovery of gold in 1827 on Cherokee land and the desire for better farmlands led to increased pressure from white settlers and the state of Georgia, culminating in the infamous Indian Removal Act and the subsequent forced relocation known as the Trail of Tears.