Happy #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth. Everyday this month I am sharing a little lesson. #WeAreStillHere #NativeIn2019
This week's theme is Cherokee history and today’s lesson is the CHEROKEE PHOENIX!
This week's theme is Cherokee history and today’s lesson is the CHEROKEE PHOENIX!
The Cherokee Phoenix is the first newspaper created by Native Americans in the United States. In 1828 my g-g-g-uncle Elias Boudinot was appointed by Cherokee Nation Council to be the first editor.
The paper was printed in both Cherokee and English.
The paper printed in Cherokee was free. If you needed the English translation an annual subscription was $2.50
The paper printed in Cherokee was free. If you needed the English translation an annual subscription was $2.50
While Cherokees were fighting Andrew Jackson and removal, the paper gained a national audience. Articles from the paper were almost like viral blog post. They were reprinted by papers nationally and read across the country by people who were concerned about Indian Removal.
As Cherokee Nation became fractured Boudinot supported signing a treaty with the United States. He was forbade from printing any pro treaty arguments and resigned. 2 yrs later Georgia militia stormed into the tribe's capitol, broke the press into pieces & threw it in the river.
Though it has had breaks in its history, the @CherokeePhoenix is still published today and is the oldest tribal newspaper in the US. You can get the paper online or in print.
cherokeephoenix.org
cherokeephoenix.org
