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The Real History of The Cherokee, Slavery and Juneteenth

The Real History of The Cherokee, Slavery and Juneteenth   Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in Texas and is widely celebrated as the symbolic end of slavery in the United States. However, it was not the absolute end of slavery everywhere in U.S. territory. The Cherokee Nation, along with other Native nations known as the Five Civilized Tribes, also held African American slaves, and emancipation there followed a different timeline. By 1860, the Cherokee were the largest slaveholders among the Five Tribes, with around 4,600 enslaved people. The Cherokee National Council passed emancipation acts in February 1863, officially abolishing slavery in the Cherokee Nation and making them the only one of the Five Tribes to do so during the Civil War. However, enforcement was inconsistent, especially among pro-Confederate Cherokee, and many enslaved people were not immediately freed. The final, legally binding end to slavery in the Cherokee Nation came with the Treaty of 1866, after the Civ...
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McMahan Mound in Sevierville

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McMahan Indian Mound - Sevierville, Tennessee  McMahan Indian Mound – Sevierville, Tennessee The McMahan Mound sits just above the Little Pigeon River, nestled between a Shoney’s and a hotel. At first glance, it might seem like nothing more than a simple mound of manmade landscaping, placed to obscure the hotel guests’ view of the road. But according to the archaeological record, this mound is officially designated as site 40SV1 and measures 240 feet wide and 16 feet high. When I visited, however, it didn’t appear any taller than me at 6'2". Upon arrival you will notice a historical marker that reads: This Mississippian substructure, sixteen feet high and 240 feet in circumference, built during the Dallas phase between 1200 and 1500, was first excavated in 1881 with artifacts being sent to the Smithsonian. Later excavations exposed nearby villages of the Woodland Indian dating from 200 A.D. to the Cherokee who roamed this valley when pioneers settled in the late 1700s. Origina...
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Location: McMahan, TN 37357, USA
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