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"The Cherokee legacy is that we are a people who face adversity, survive, adapt, prosper and excel."
Chadwick ''Corntassel'' Smith
America...
by Maireid Sullivan, 2004
When Christopher Columbus discovered South America in 1492 he thought he had reached Asia, which was his original destination, hence, he named the natives “Indians”. In 1502 & 1503, Italian Cartographer/navigator Amerigo Vespucci, on his return from a voyage undertaken for the King of Portugal, wrote letters to Lorenzo de Medici reporting the discovery of Novus Mundus, the New World. These letters were translated into every European language.
French cartographer Martin Waldseemueller’s circle of friends knew this report represented a major breakthrough in knowledge, so they published Cosmographiae Introduction (Introduction to Cosmography) based on Vespucci's idea that the Americas were a new land, and in 1507 Waldseemueller named the continent America, after Amerigo Vespucci - referring to South America.
The native population of North America is said to have been between 90 to 112 million when Europeans first arrived - much larger than the European population. 95% suffered and died from diseases introduced by Europeans. The remaining people were driven from their traditional lands; first, through treaties, which were signed and then ignored, then through coercion. Finally, in all-out wars, they were hunted down when they tried to protect and defend themselves from hostile occupation. The survivors were relocated to reservations far from their homes.
Native Americans became victims of “Manifest Destiny” as the massive European lust for land consumed North America. Within four hundred years of first contact, European settlers in North America have stripped Native Americans of their land and nearly wiped their cultures from the face of the earth. The rights of indigenous people in the Americas are slowly being restored by law, and their rich cultural heritage is experiencing popular renewal. Today they number approximately two million, about 0.8% of the total U.S. population. One-third of Native Americans still live on reservations.
Out of this sad history came the world's first multi-cultural nation; populated by people of every nation and tribe on earth. America represents the first society in human history founded upon diverse cultures living together as one people – Americans. As the twenty-first century unfolds, humanity the world over must join together to nurture the greatest golden age of civilization, for the survival of the whole planet, as billions of people actively share their vision for peace on earth.
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"A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles..." “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” – Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)
“My ancestors didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat.”
- Will Rogers (1879-1935), a member of the Cherokee Nation
"The United States, brought forth by the power of human unity, seeks to be reborn. We invoke the Spirit of Freedom. We hear the cadence of courage echo across the ages: "Life, Liberty, pursuit of Happiness... Once again, the hour has come for us to stand for unity, even as our government tells us we must follow it into war. Once again the hour has come for us to be strong of heart. The direction of human unity is forward. We are on the march. It is our government which must follow, or be swept aside." - Dennis Kucinich, U.S. congressman
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