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The Cherokee Nation is a North American Indian tribe affiliated with the Iroquois linguistic group. The tribe flourished in southern states such as Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee until their destruction by small pox and disputes with settlers in the 1830s. Andrew Jackson was instrumental in driving the Cherokee out of Georgia in response to which many Cherokee began migrating west. The journey west nearly eliminated the Cherokees and was appropriately named the "Trail of Tears."

The expulsion of the Cherokee Nation is one of the most regrettable chapters in American history. At the peak of their communal development the Cherokee Nation devised their own syllabary language, constructed a capital which was modeled after Washington, D.C., established a democratic government with a bicameral legislature, and set the groundwork for a supreme court building, post office, museum, and academy. Threatened...