Cherokee Male Seminary facts for kids

The Cherokee Male Seminary was a special school for higher education started in 1846 by the Cherokee Nation. It was located in what was then called Indian Territory. When it opened in 1851, it became one of the very first colleges west of the Mississippi River in the United States.

Starting the School

After the Cherokee people were forced to move to Indian Territory, they worked hard to rebuild their communities and way of life. In October 1846, their leader, Chief John Ross, suggested creating colleges for both Cherokee men and women.

On November 26, 1846, the Cherokee National Council agreed. They passed a law saying they had enough money to improve their education system.

On October 28, 1847, a special ceremony took place. Chief Ross laid the first cornerstone for the male seminary building. This cornerstone held books and important documents.

Before the school opened, the Cherokee Nation sent people to New England to find teachers. They hired professors from famous schools like Yale University and Mount Holyoke College. The Cherokee Nation spent $80,000 of their own money to build both the Cherokee Male Seminary and the Cherokee Female Seminary.

Early Years (1851–1856)

The Cherokee Male Seminary welcomed its first 27 students on May 6, 1851. It was a boarding school, meaning students lived there. The school was in a three-story red brick building southwest of Tahlequah, in Indian Territory.

Students learned many subjects, including:

• English grammar and writing
• Math (like arithmetic and algebra)
• Public speaking (elocution)
• Science (like astronomy, botany, geology, and zoology)
• Social studies (like economics, geography, and history)
• Thinking skills (philosophy)
• Languages (like Greek, Latin, French, and German)

To get into the school, students had to pass a two-day test. The Cherokee Nation paid for all the students' classes and living costs. By 1856, 13 young men had graduated from the Male Seminary.

However, new students were not accepted in the fall of 1856. The school's reopening was delayed until the 1870s because of the American Civil War.

Reopening in the 1870s

After the war ended, the school reopened in the 1870s. This time, students had to pay for their room and board. The Cherokee Nation also allowed men from other Native American tribes to attend. At that time, the Cherokee Nation had a better public school system than nearby states like Arkansas or Missouri.

The School Closes

Later, the U.S. government passed a law called the Curtis Act of 1898. This law tried to break up tribal institutions, including the Cherokee Male Seminary. Because of this, the school was eventually closed.

The Cherokee tribe continued to use the building as a school for both boys and girls after Oklahoma became a state. But in 1910, the building burned down. The last students graduated that same year, with their graduation ceremony held at Northeastern State Normal School. The Cherokee Nation has not run a tribal college since then.

Famous Graduates

Many important people attended the Cherokee Male Seminary:

• William Wirt Hastings (1866–1938), who became a U.S. Representative.
• Joel B. Mayes (1833–1891), a Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
• Samuel Houston Mayes (1845–1927), another Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
• J. B. Milam (1884–1949), also a Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
• Clement V. Rogers (1839–1911), a Cherokee Nation senator and judge, and the father of the famous humorist Will Rogers.