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Article: Chasing the red fox.
- Article from:
- Cobblestone
- Article date:
- January 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Old wounds opened within the Cherokee Nation when the American Civil War began. A feud dating back to the 1830s between two factions within the Cherokees--one led by Principal Chief John Ross and the other led by the
Watie-Ridge family--had left deep divisions. Back then, the dispute had centered on whether to relocate as the federal government was demanding.
Now the question was: Did the Union or the Confederacy have their best interests at heart?
With whom should the Cherokees side?
Ross expected the federal government to honor a treaty that promised the Native Americans protection against whites who invaded Indian lands. When war ...