Georgia Discrimination Against Cherokees (1828)

Sat Dec 20, 1828

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On this day in 1828, the state legislature of Georgia enacted a series of laws which stripped the Cherokee people of their legal rights in order to force them out of the state, ultimately culminating in the “Trail of Tears”.

Among other forms of discrimination, Cherokee could not dig for gold discovered on their land, any Cherokee caught advising others to not migrate westward could be jailed, and no Cherokee could testify in court against a white man. The Cherokee Nation sued the state of Georgia and lost; on appeal, the Supreme Court declined to rule on the case.

A year later, the Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee Nation was a sovereign entity and that the Georgia laws were illegal, however President Andrew Jackson flagrantly violated this ruling and ordered the expulsion of the Cherokee Nation. This led directly to the infamous “Trail of Tears”.