Gwladys Leprince

N° étudiant : 22001633
gwladys.leprince@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr

LLCE – A2FC101

Avril 2021

FINAL HOME PAPER

QUESTIONS :

1/ Explain very briefly who Ralph Waldo Emerson and Martin Van Buren were (1 point) [120 words
maximum]

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in 1803 in Boston, and died in 1882. He was an american
abolitionist philosopher. He brought the transcendentalist movement during the mid-19th century.
He was known for sending letters and fought in favor of the abolition of slavery. 1
Martin Van Buren was the 8th President of the United States of America. He was born on
December 5, 1782 in New York and died on July 24, 1862. He was also against slavery.

2/ What were the relationships between the Cherokees and the American population described by
Emerson (l.5-10)? Did this tribe share common features with other Indian groups? Use the text and
knowledge from the course to answer. (5 points) [300 words maximum].

The Cherokees were dominated by the American population. Seen as inferior : « the doom
of eternal inferiority » (l.9) , they were required to integrate by adopting the Caucasian culture :
they had to improve some skills in the « social arts » as : writting « newspapers », going to
« schools and colleges »(l.6-7). The Americans seemed sympathetic to the Cherokees. Indeed, as
Emerson describes, they were positively surprised to see the Cherokees evolve and integrate into
their culture. We can affirm this by reading lines 5-6 and 8: « We have learned with joy their
improvement in the social arts. » ; « we have witnessed with sympathy the painful labors of these
red men […] to borrow and domesticate in the tribe the arts and customs of the Caucasian race  ».
This tribe had some common features with other Indian groups, like almost all of them, they
shared a typical appearance: they had high cheekbones, a reddish brown skin tone, dark hair,…
Like many other Indian groups, the Cherokees had their own beliefs. They believed in Asagaya
Gigagei, the great thunder spirit.2 As four others, the Cherokees were one of the « Five Civilized
Tribes » with the Chicasaw, the Chotow, the Creek and the Seminole.

3/ Thanks to the lectures and the discussions in class, can you explain why the Cherokee signed a
treaty and what they had to do because of this treaty? How does Emerson consider the treaty they
signed? (l.11-16) (4 points) [260 words maximum].

The Cherokees signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835 with the Americans. This treaty
forced them to leave their ancestral lands in Georgia and North Carolina. They were later moved to
Oklahoma, west of the Mississippi River.3 The Cherokee were forced to sign the Treaty of New
Echota because they knew they would be defeated in the end and lose their lands. By signing it,
they preserved their nation. Emerson does not support this treaty at all. He considers it a " sham
treaty " (l.17). He considers this unfair because it was reported that the members who voted in
favour of this treaty did "by no means represent the will of the nation" (l.14). He even insists on the
fact that the Cherokees did not agree with this treaty by saying that "fifteen thousand six hundred
and sixty-eight have protested against this so-called treaty » (l.16).

4/ How is the removal of the Indians presented by the author? (3 points) [200 words maximum].

The author presents the removal of the Indians as a crime, as an injustice. It is, according to
him, a "conspiracy" that the Cherokees are undergoing. The Cherokees were represented by others
who did not share the same wishes as the whole people. They were deceived and when they wanted
to defend themselves, to make their voices heard, the American government turned a deaf ear.
He also wants to make sure his interlocutor understands this is an important action and wants to talk
about it : « to argue a matter like this »(l.26).
5/ Why does Emerson consider the situation a crime? How does he use American institutions and
values as a reference? (l.27-33) (4 points) [300 words maximum].

Emerson considers the situation a crime because it also « deprives » the Americans and the
Cherokees from a country. He uses American institutions and values as a reference by putting
Indians in an inferiority position, using « poor » to define them he is searching for compassion.
He also says that putting the seal of the American government onto such a « perfidy » (l.32)
would mean that America will no longer be a symbol of « sweet omen of religion and liberty »
(l.32-33), which would deteriorate their reputation.

6/ According to Emerson, what is the role of the American population and the American government
in that matter? (l. 36-41) (3 points) [220 words maximum].

According to Emerson, the American people have a duty to do justice to the so-called
'savage' peoples because they are supposed to have 'wisdom' and 'reason'. (l.38) . Emerson is using
philosophical morality to make the American government understand that it would be immoral to
subject the Cherokees to such an outrage, knowing that they are far more evolved and theoretically
more intelligent. In the end, it is even human nature : « so vast an outrage upon the Cherokee
Nation and upon human nature shall be consummated. » (l. 40-41) .
Bibliographie :

1
: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Waldo_Emerson#:~:text=Ralph%20Waldo%20Emerson
%20(May%2025,of%20the%20mid%2D19th%20century.&text=considered%20to%20be
%20America's%20%22intellectual%20Declaration%20of%20Independence.%22

2 
: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divinit%C3%A9s_nord-am%C3%A9rindiennes#Esprits_partag
%C3%A9s_par_diverses_tribus

3 
: https://www.herodote.net/almanach-ID-2913.php

Environ 2h de travail, avec derniere vérification avant envoi.