John Ridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Ridge
Ridge painted after his death
Born	Skah-tle-loh-skee (Yellow Bird) c. 1802 Oothacaloga (Calhoun, Georgia)
Died	June 22, 1839 (1839-06-23) (aged 36 or 37) Honey Springs Creek, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma)
Cause of death	Executed for treason against the Cherokee Nation
Citizenship	Cherokee Nation
Spouse(s)	Sarah Bird Northup
Children	John Rollin Ridge
Parent(s)	Major Ridge
Signature

John Ridge, also known as Skah-tle-loh-skee (Yellow Bird), was born around 1802. He came from an important family in the Cherokee Nation, which was then located in what is now Georgia.

He traveled to Cornwall, Connecticut, to study at the Foreign Mission School. There, he met Sarah Bird Northup, a girl from a New England family. They got married in 1824. Soon after returning home in 1825, Ridge was chosen to be part of the Cherokee National Council. He quickly became a leader in his tribe.

In the 1830s, John Ridge joined a group called the Treaty Party. His father, Major Ridge, and his cousins Elias Boudinot and Stand Watie were also part of this group. They believed that the Cherokee people would be forced to move from their lands. So, they supported making a treaty with the United States government. They hoped this treaty would protect the Cherokee's rights.

The Ridges and Boudinot signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835. This treaty gave up Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi River. In return, the Cherokee would receive lands in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). However, most of the tribe and their leader, Principal Chief John Ross, were against giving up their land. Even so, the U.S. Senate approved the treaty.

In 1839, after the Cherokee were moved to Indian Territory, some people who opposed the treaty killed John Ridge, his father, and Elias Boudinot. They were killed because they had signed the treaty. Stand Watie survived a similar attack.

John Ridge's Early Life

John Ridge was born around 1802 in a village called Oothacaloga. This village was near what is now Calhoun, Georgia. His parents were the Cherokee chief Major Ridge and his wife Sehoya.

The Cherokee were a matrilineal tribe. This means that family lines were traced through the mother. So, John Ridge belonged to the Wild Potato Clan through his mother, Sehoya. As a child, Ridge was often sick. He went to a mission school nearby in Spring Place, Cherokee Nation. This school was run by the Moravian Brethren. It was built on land given by his father's friend, James Vann.

In 1819, John Ridge's father sent him to the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut. There, he learned to read and write in English. He also studied other subjects that were common for educated people at that time. The school was created to teach students from different parts of the world. The goal was for them to return home and share what they learned. Many families in Cornwall supported the school and welcomed its students. John Ridge was a top student. He was asked to write an essay for President James Monroe. His cousin Elias Boudinot also studied at this school.

Marriage and Family Life

While at school in Cornwall, John Ridge fell in love with Sarah Bird Northrup. She was the daughter of the school's manager. After two years, he convinced her parents to let them marry. They got married in January 1824.

The people in Cornwall were very upset about a Native American man marrying a white woman. Their strong dislike made Ridge feel less positive about European Americans. It also changed his hopes for how the Cherokee and white people would get along in the future.

John Ridge was one of the first Cherokee men to marry a European-American woman. In the past, marriages between Europeans and Cherokee usually involved European men, often fur traders, and high-ranking Cherokee women. Both groups thought these marriages were helpful. In the Cherokee matrilineal culture, children belonged to their mother's family and clan. This meant they were fully accepted as Cherokee. However, white women were outsiders, so their children would not have status in the tribe.

After Ridge and Sarah returned to Georgia in 1825, the National Council made a new law. This law allowed children of such marriages to be full Cherokee citizens. This was important because Ridge's cousin, Elias Boudinot, was also planning to marry a European-American woman. This new rule helped protect the future families of these important young men within the Cherokee Nation.

John Ridge started to get involved in the Nation's government. He became a key member of the National Council. His cousin Elias Boudinot and his father's friend, John Ross, were also important leaders. John Ridge was highly respected by all the tribes in the Southern United States. People admired his skills and his dedication to helping Native Americans.

Working with the Creek Nation

In the 1820s, the Creek people faced increasing pressure to give up their lands in Georgia and Alabama. Their leaders had signed a treaty in 1821 that gave away some land. Then, the second Treaty of Indian Springs (1825) gave away most of their remaining land. Chief William McIntosh signed this treaty, but the Creek National Council had not agreed to it. Because of this, the Council ordered McIntosh and other signers to be killed.

The Upper Creeks did not want to give up. In 1825, they decided to ask President John Quincy Adams for help. They believed the treaty was illegal. Their leader, Chief Opothleyahola, did not speak English well. So, the Creek asked two young Cherokee men to help him prepare his speech. These men were recommended by Major Ridge. The Creek knew that Senator Andrew Jackson respected Major Ridge, who had fought with him in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend during the Creek Wars. Major Ridge recommended his son, John Ridge, and David Vann.

Ridge and Vann helped Chief Opothleyahola prepare his speech. He argued that the 1825 treaty was illegal because the National Council had not approved it. He gave the speech to General Edmund P. Gaines, the U.S. Army commander in Georgia. This speech convinced General Gaines to support the Creek. President Adams also agreed with the Creek. This led to the Treaty of Washington (1826), which had better terms for the Creek.

However, Georgia continued to push for the removal of Native Americans. When Andrew Jackson became president, he supported Indian removal. He signed a law in 1830 that allowed it. By 1836, most of the Creek people had moved from the Southeast to Indian Territory.

John Ridge's Political Role

As a clerk for the Cherokee National Council, John Ridge went to Washington, D.C. He met with U.S. officials there. In 1831, they protested Georgia's illegal takeover of Cherokee land. (Congress had passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830, but Georgia acted even before that.) In 1832, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Worcester v. Georgia. The Court said that Georgia's actions were illegal. It stated that the Cherokee Nation was a sovereign nation and should only deal with the U.S. government.

However, the Cherokee delegation was upset to learn that President Andrew Jackson still wanted all Southeastern tribes to move west. Ridge slowly began to think that moving was unavoidable, even though he had been against it before.

John Ridge and Elias Boudinot became leaders of the "Treaty Party." This group believed that the only way to save the Cherokee Nation was to negotiate a treaty for removal. They felt this would protect Cherokee rights. European-American settlers kept moving onto Cherokee lands, leading to conflicts. The Treaty Party believed they had to give up the Cherokee land that Georgia had illegally taken.

Most of the Cherokee, led by Principal Chief John Ross, did not want to move. Ross hoped to make a deal with the U.S. that would let the Cherokee stay in the East. Ridge hoped to convince the Nation that his plan was the only solution.

In 1835, John Ridge, his father, and Boudinot signed the Treaty of New Echota. This happened after talks in Washington, D.C. They were part of the National Council's group, but Principal Chief John Ross was still trying to negotiate for the Cherokee to stay. The treaty gave up all Cherokee land east of the Mississippi River. Because of this, the group that opposed the treaty, led by John Ross, saw the Treaty Party members as traitors. Even though there were clear disagreements within the tribe and Chief Ross did not sign, the U.S. Senate approved the treaty. President Jackson used this treaty to force the Cherokee to move in 1838. This forced journey is now known as the Trail of Tears.

The treaty said that Cherokee who wanted to stay in the East could do so. But they would have to give up their Cherokee tribal status and become citizens of the states where they lived. However, this part of the treaty was mostly ignored during the forced removal. The U.S. Army gathered most Cherokee people and their enslaved African Americans from Georgia to take them west. The Cherokee owned many enslaved people. There were also some free people of color in the tribe, who had both Cherokee and African-American heritage. Before the removal, John Ridge owned twenty-one enslaved people. He had a large farm at Running Waters, Georgia, near the Oostanaula River.

Moving West

After the treaty was signed, John Ridge moved with his family. His father, most of his brothers and sisters, his uncle (David Watie), and his Watie cousins also moved. They went to what is now Indian Territory. This was three years before most of the Cherokee were forced to move in 1838. The Ridges and other families joined the "Old Settlers" of the Cherokee Nation West. These were Cherokee who had moved west in the 1820s from North Carolina or Alabama.

On June 22, 1839, a group of 25 people who supported John Ross killed John Ridge, his father, and Elias Boudinot. They did this as revenge for signing the treaty that gave away Cherokee lands. They also attacked Stand Watie, but he survived. Later, other members of the Treaty Party were also killed.

See also

• Timeline of Cherokee removal
• Treaty of New Echota

Images for kids

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  John Ridge's signature