George "Corn" Tassel facts for kids

George "Corn" Tassel (Utsi'dsata) was a Cherokee man known for an important legal case in 1830. He was tried and sentenced to death by the State of Georgia, even though he was a Cherokee citizen living on Cherokee land. This was against the law at the time. His case became a very important moment for Native American rights. It helped show that Native American nations have the right to govern themselves. Because of this case, the United States Supreme Court later decided in Worcester v. Georgia that states could not make laws or decisions on Native American lands.

A Serious Accusation

In 1830, George Corn Tassel was accused of a serious crime involving another Cherokee man named Sanders "Talking Rock" Ford. This happened in a place called Talking Rock, which was part of the Cherokee Nation's territory.

Talking Rock (now Pickens County, Georgia) was about 50 miles from Hall County, where Corn Tassel was taken for trial. Under U.S. law, the Cherokee Nation was seen as its own government. This meant Corn Tassel should have been tried in a Cherokee court, by Cherokee laws, not by the State of Georgia.

The Unfair Trial

Corn Tassel's trial took place on November 22, 1830, in Gainesville, Georgia. The courthouse was a simple log cabin. A jury of 12 white men found Corn Tassel guilty. Judge Augustin Smith Clayton then sentenced him to the death penalty.

Corn Tassel's case was appealed, meaning his lawyers asked for a higher court to review the decision. However, a group of Georgia judges, including Judge Clayton, refused to change the decision.

At the request of Cherokee Chief John Ross, the U.S. Attorney General, William Wirt, took Corn Tassel's case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. They ordered that Corn Tassel's execution should not happen. They also told Georgia to send them the records of the trial. They even ordered Georgia Governor George Gilmer to appear before them in January 1831.

However, Governor Gilmer did not follow the Supreme Court's order. Instead, he called a special meeting of Georgia's lawmakers. They passed new laws that made it harder for white and Cherokee people to work together. Governor Gilmer encouraged Judge Clayton to ignore the Supreme Court. So, Corn Tassel was executed by hanging on December 24, 1830.

A Sad Day

On Christmas Eve morning, Sheriff Jacob Eberhart took Corn Tassel from the jail. He was in an oxcart, sitting on his own coffin. He was tied up. Judge Clayton was there as the execution happened.

Many people came to watch the hanging, about 500 in total. After Corn Tassel died, his body was given to his Cherokee friends. They buried him near what is now Bradford Street in Gainesville.

Remembering Corn Tassel

Years later, in 1966, Gainesville, Georgia, started an annual crafts festival. It was named the Corn Tassel Festival. This name was used until 1993. When people learned more about the unfair way Corn Tassel was treated, the festival's name was changed. It became the Mule Camp Festival, named after an old Cherokee trading post that later became Gainesville.