This volume presents the story of the Eastern Band of Cherokees during
the nineteenth century. This group - the tribal remnant in North
Carolina that escaped removal in the 1830's - found their fortitude and
resilience continually tested as they struggled with a variety of
problems, including the upheavals of the Civil War and Reconstruction,
internal divisiveness, white encroachment on their lands, and a poorly
defined relationship with the state and federal governments. Yet despite
such stresses and a selective adaptation in the face of social and
economic changes, the Eastern Cherokees retained a sense of tribal
identity as they stood at the threshold of the twentieth century.