Question

As they worked to try to keep their land and sovereignty, the Cherokee took a case to the Supreme Court - Worcester v. Georgia - to argue that Georgia couldn't just give their land away. What happened in that case and after?

Responses

A. The Cherokee won the case, meaning they had the power to decide who lived on or bought their land. President Jackson and the leaders of Georgia respected this decision and told Georgians to leave the land.


B. The Cherokee lost the case, meaning they did no have the power to decide who lived on or bought their land, they were allowed to stay on their land and write a new treaty that would better protect their rights?


C. The Cherokee won the case, meaning they had the power to decide who lived on or bought their land. President Jackson and the leaders of Georgia refused to enforce this ruling, meaning the Cherokee still lost their land.

D. The Cherokee lost the case, meaning they did not have the power to decide who lived on or bought their land, they were forced to leave their land on the Trail of Tears

Answer 1

C. The Cherokee won the case, meaning they had the power to decide who lived on or bought their land. However, President Jackson and the leaders of Georgia refused to enforce this ruling, meaning the Cherokee still lost their land. In fact, Georgia passed laws that nullified Cherokee laws and asserted state control over Cherokee territory. This led to the forced removal of the Cherokee from their ancestral lands in what is known as the Trail of Tears, a forced relocation that caused the death of thousands of Cherokee people.