Cherokee Nation Rules on Freedmen Case

by Liberty and Power

The highest court of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma has reversed a prior ruling and opened the door for descendants of freedmen (black slaves owned by Cherokees) to pursue Cherokee citizenship.

Further reading:
The Allen v. Ummerteskee decision (PDF)

"Jim Crow and the Indians" Salon.com article on the Allen v. Ummerteskee case

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More Comments:

Amy H. Sturgis - 3/31/2006

Good point! And it's not like the Feds to keep their noses out of any native nation's affairs...

Kenneth R. Gregg - 3/13/2006

I do wonder if there will be a response from the U.S. feds on the matter. The Cherokee have always been proud of the multi-racial character of their nation, and that they treated their slaves much better than the whites did. Certainly manumission was far easier (see William G. McLoughlin's Cherokee Renascence in teh New Pepublic (Princeton: Princeton U. Press, 1986. Chapter 16).

Just a thought.
Just Ken