- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- [Talk] 1823 Oct. 27, Newtown, to D[uncan] G. Campbell and Ja[me]s Meriwether / Path Killer ... [et al.]
- Creator:
- Path Killer
- Contributor to Resource:
- Ridge, Major, ca. 1771-1839
Ross, John, 1790-1866 - Publisher:
- Manuscript held by the The Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, TN, State Library Cherokee Collection, box 3, folder 5, document ch072.
- Date of Original:
- 1823-10-27
- Subject:
- Cherokee Indians--Treaties
Cherokee Indians--Land tenure - Location:
- United States, Southern States, 33.346678, -84.119434
- Medium:
- speeches
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- This document is a talk from the General Council of the Cherokee Nation to U.S. treaty commissioners Duncan G. Campbell and James Meriwether, dated October 27, 1823. The Council rebuts a number of unfounded accusations made by the commissioners in a recent talk they delivered. The Cherokee Council explains that they have no more land to sell and thus, negotiating a treaty for further land cessions would be useless. They refer to the Treaty of Holston and numerous other treaties in developing their argument. The talk is signed by a number of important Cherokee leaders including Pathkiller, Major Ridge, and John Ross.
Digital image and encoded transcription of an original manuscript, scanned, transcribed and encoded by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Libraries in 2000, as part of GALILEO, funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. - Local Identifier:
- ch072
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_ch072
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_ch072#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_ch072/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], State Library Cherokee Collection, The Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, TN, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia
- Extent:
- 4 pages/leaves
- Holding Institution:
- Tennessee State Library and Archives
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
Newtown
Octr. [October] 27th 1823
In General Council
Friends Brothers,
You say that your anticipations of success was founded upon, Confidence in any judgement, and that you believed & hoped you would have succeeded in Convincing us that you were right, and would also satisfy us of the nature of our title to the soil which we now occupy. The doctrine which you have laid for a foundation, can never Convince our judgement that you are Correct, -- we did not refer to the 7th article of Holston Treaty
1791 as a foundation to our title to the soil upon which we stand. Our title has emanated from a supreme source, which cannot be impaired by the mere circumstance of discovery by foreigners; neither has this title been impaired by Conquest or by treaty -- If it was intended that our original title should be forever cast, why did not the the Treaties of peace declare it in plain terms; and why should
Page: [2]
the United States purchase time after time by Treaties lands which you would wish to Convince us we have no title -- and when such purchases were made why did they require such a right & title of Conveyance as given in the 4th article of Holston Treaty
1791, which you have had occasion to refer, We had noticed the 7th article of Holston Treaty to shew [show] that the United States do acknowledge our right & title and have guaranteed to respect the same -- This being the Case and the Cherokees possessing the right & title it would have been superfluous & useless for the United States to Convey to the Cherokees a right & title which was already vested in the Cherokees themselves and not in the United States -- you say our possession is at the will of the United States; and that our rejections to the several propositions which have been made cannot be expected to pass away and produce no effect, and that the ties which bind us with the United States are loosening & the chain is becoming weaker What Brothers do you wish to impair the high
Page: [3]
confidence which we entertain of the magnanimity of your Government, and to harbour [harbor] an opinion that, because the United States are Great & powerfull [powerful] and the Cherokees small and dependant upon her for protection; that she will trample justice under foot, and compel us to yield what we have peaceably & respectfully refused to let the U States have, for the benefit of the State of Georgia -- have you not told us that the President have the same love towards us as his white Children; and would not such a treatment of us, as you seem to be apprehensive of be partial& wrong, Brothers we have rejected your propositions because we [deleted text: have ] love our lands and have none to dispose of, We rejected the claims of Georgia because we know [added text: that ] the nation owes her nothing under the treaties Cited- We rejected the proposition of the agent because we think, that it is not expedient to grant it, in as much as we have given him all the priviledges [privileges] granted him by Treaty and are ever disposed to support his authority as an agent so far as our Citizens may be implicated with transgressions -- Thus far we have not acted with ingratitude towards the Genl. [General] Government in rejecting these several propositions; It is a priviledge [privilege] &
Page: [4]
a right which belongs to us, to use our pleasure, in complying or rejecting; Therefore your Charge of ingratitude we conceive is not Consistent with liberality -- Your proposition for a Special Cession of a tract of land, Cannot be [unclear text: aceeded ] to -- The offer of money is not a Consideration which can effect to alter the rejection which have already been made -- You have been told in positive terms that one foot of Land cannot be sold You state that you are informed that the Council had on former occasion set much longer than the present session, Your informant is mistaken -- Twenty five days is the longest session we have ever had at this place and the present session have now entered the twenty seventh day. You have no grounds to Complain of a Sudden Close of our negotiation; the subject has been fully discussed -- We now consider this a final close of our negotiation & beg leave to take you by the right hand, as we meet, in Brotherly Friendship and as such may we ever Continue
[Signed] A [Alexander] McCoy clk Nl [clerk National] Committee
[Signed] Path Killer +Pl [Principal] chief
[Signed] Major Ridge + speaker of Cl. [Council]
[Signed] Jno. [John] Ross Prest. [President] national Committee To D [Duncan] G Campbell & Jas. [James] Meriwether Esqrs [Esquires] US Commissioners