The Cherokee Phoenix (1834)

The Cherokee Phoenix was the first newspaper published in the United States by Native Americans in 1828 by the Cherokee Nation. The newspaper’s first editor was Elias Boudinot, who was a well-known intellectual and also a Cherokee leader. This paper was first published in New Echota, Georgia, which at the time was the capital of the Cherokee Nation. Additionally, it was published in two languages, both English and Cherokee (which was a writing system implemented by the Sequoyah), and this significantly helped to increase literacy among the Cherokee people. 

The paper was written as a means to protect and preserve the Cherokee culture and identity while the American expansion was in play. Furthermore, this newspaper was used to articulate the political stance of the Cherokee Nation during the Indian Removal Act, as well as providing news to the people, updating the Cherokee on new laws, and also other relevant topics. This newfound political voice and platform served useful as the Cherokee openly opposed laws and policies surrounding the Indian Removal Act that developed during the forced relocation of the Cherokee from their lands, also known as the Trail of Tears. This voice not only impacted the Cherokee but also the American public surrounding injustices that Native Americans face on the daily. This newspaper ceased production in 1834 because of financial difficulties as well as the increased pressures of removal by the government. 

The Cherokee Phoenix was printed using a printing press that the Cherokee Nation bought equipped with both english and Cherokee syllabary. The paper that The Cherokee Phoenix was printed on was made of rag pulp with mostly cotton and linen fibers. Additionally, the Cherokee had to manually set type for each page, ink it, and then pressing the paper onto the type to transfer the ink.