Explaining the Cherokee War of 1776
April 17 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Explaining the Cherokee War of 1776
April 17 from 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Hennage Auditorium
In the summer of 1776, the Cherokee decided to attack the frontier areas of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia. This started the first U.S. war against a Native nation — and it became one of the most destructive.
But why did the Cherokee choose to go to war?
Usually, it’s hard for historians to learn how Native communities debated these big decisions — whether to fight or try to keep the peace with settlers. But in Cherokee country, British officials who wanted to stop the American Revolution wrote down those discussions in great detail.
Join scholar Brian DeLay as he takes us through the Cherokee War of 1776. This important story gives us a rare look at the difficult choices Native people faced — choices that would shape their futures for the next hundred years.
