This paper will discuss how Indigenous Americans are often left out of the dominant narrative of American history. The Civil War was one of the most important events in American history that significantly impacted the Cherokee people. Their involvement in the war complicates the racial narrative from being a solely black and white issue. The paper discusses the Cherokees assimilation to American culture, racial practices, political rivalries, and how the war split the nation into two. It also discussed how the war memory in the west was constructed by white settlers and not the Cherokee people.
Image: Cherokee Confederates reunion in New Orleans, 1903. Credit: Wikipedia
