In order to acquire European goods such as fabrics, firearms, and alcohol, the Cherokee Indians hunted the deer population of the southeast in order to use the skins as bartering items. The deer population steadily decreased almost to the point of endangerment (121). Following the European explorers, missionaries saw the "uncivilized" Cherokee nation as an opportunity to spread Christianity. After the American Revolution, the Cherokees, aided by Return J. Meigs, adopted many "white man's ways." With the introduction of the loom and spinning wheels into the Cherokee culture, the role of women gradually became confined to the home and that of making cloth and clothing. Men then gave up their hunting roles and were expected to work in the fields. Moreover, the Cherokee children eventually started attending missionary boarding schools where they learned to read and write according to the white man's ways. The Cherokees began devising a modern alphabet that allowed them to become literate in their own language and even founded a newspaper call the Cherokee Phoenix. The governmental structure, or lack there of, eventually modeled that of many European institutions. The Cherokees founded a police force and, in 1827, adopted a formal constitution modeled after the United States Constitution (122). Women, who previously had equal rights in government, found themselves without the right to vote or to serve as a representative. The significant changes in Cherokee culture show how expansion by the Europeans and Americans pressured this diverse culture to conform to the social norms of the time.
Although the Cherokee's adopted many of the white man's ways, these cultural adaptations were widespread and not enough to save the doomed fate of the nation. 1828 was a fatal year for the Cherokee nation for several reasons. Early in 1828, gold was discovered in modern day Georgia setting off a mad dash to the state to mine for gold.
