“C” is for Cherokees. The Cherokees were one of the largest southeastern Native American nations with which South Carolina colonists had contact. The Cherokees originally lived in the Great Lakes Region of North America but moved to the southeastern United States around 1400 C.E. By the mid-seventeenth century, the Cherokee had settlements in South Carolina, known as the lower towns, and included Seneca, Keowee, Toxaway, and Jocassee. Stable villages were possible because of the Cherokees’ reliance on agriculture, especially corn. International European rivalries and settlers’ encroachment on tribal lands led to the Cherokee War (1758-1761) between the Cherokees and South Carolina colonists. The Cherokees were decisively defeated and fifteen of their towns were destroyed. During the Revolutionary War they sided with the British. The Cherokees were defeated and in 1777 ceded most of their South Carolina land.
“C” is for Cherokees
