Slavery and the Evolution of Cherokee Society, 1540–1866

Slavery was practiced in North America long before Europeans arrived on these shores, bringing their own version of this “peculiar institution.” Unlike the European institution, however, Native American slavery was a function of warfare among tribes, replenishment of population lost through intertribal conflict or disease, and establishment and preservation of tribal standards of behavior. Theda Perdue here traces the history of slavery among the Cherokee as it evolved from 1540 to 1866. Du