Cherokee slaveowners took their slaves with them on the Trail of Tears , the forced removal of Native Americans from their original lands to Indian Territory . Of the Five Civilized Tribes removed to Indian Territory , the Cherokee were the largest tribe and held the most enslaved African Americans . Prominent Cherokee slaveowners included the families of Joseph Lynch , Joseph Vann , Major Ridge , Stand Watie , Elias Boudinot , and Principal Chief John Ross
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Cherokee freedmen controversy