Cherokee Freedmen Issues
With the current issues facing the Cherokee Nation and the citizenship of the so called Cherokee Freedmen it is important to look back at the documented history of these individuals in connection to the nation.
Much is made of the "freedmen" being forced on the tribe and the myths that they were never citizens with rights as Cherokee's but the record demonstrates just the opposite and as the issue of citizenship remains a bone of contention it is imperative that the full story be told how the nation "emancipated" and "adopted" both "free Negroes" as well as those formerly enslaved within the nation.
The Estelusti Foundation would like to contribute to this dialogue information gleaned from historical records that support the claims and efforts of Freedmen Descendants in their struggle to make clear their ties and history within the Cherokee Nation.
The Freedmen sought to have their rights in the Cherokee Nation secured by the United States government based on the continued attempts to nullify their rights as citizens. Part of their strategy was to petition Congress to secure these rights as well as the judicial systems within the Cherokee Nation and the United States.
Their struggle and the struggle of their descendants is well documented and we hope that these documents will assist the current struggle too secure those rights obtained and secured by treaties and Congressional Acts.