Blood Moon: An American Epic of War and Splendor in the Cherokee Nation

When Europeans arrived in North America, the Cherokee Nation occupied a vast territory in the southern Appalachians, where they prospered from the land's abundant resources. Native tribes were profoundly affected by conflicts between both British and French forces. After the American Revolution, the Cherokee adopted many European customs, but this did not save them from the U.S. government policy of removal in the 1830s. Sedgwick (War of Two) chronicles the history of the Cherokee by focusing on the lives of two men: Chief John Ross (1790–1866) and lawmaker Major Ridge (1771–1839). Once friends, the men disagreed over the issue of removal. Major Ridge and his followers signed the treaty providing for removal, while Ross and his supporters opposed it. These were turbulent years for the Cherokee. Despite their adoption of Anglicized business values and constitutional laws, and even owning slaves, they were forcibly removed in what is known as the Trail of Tears, which remains a divisive subject in tribal history.