<P> When Georgia moved to extend state laws over Cherokee lands in 1830, the matter went to the U.S. Supreme Court . In Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831), the Marshall court ruled that the Cherokee Nation was not a sovereign and independent nation, and therefore refused to hear the case . However, in Worcester v. Georgia (1832), the Court ruled that Georgia could not impose laws in Cherokee territory, since only the national government--not state governments--had authority in Indian affairs . Worcester v Georgia is associated with Andrew Jackson's famous, though apocryphal, quote "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!" In reality, this quote did not appear until 30 years after the incident and was first printed in a textbook authored by Jackson critic Horace Greeley . </P> <P> Fearing open warfare between federal troops and the Georgia militia, Jackson decided not to enforce Cherokee claims against the state of Georgia . He was already embroiled in a constitutional crisis with South Carolina (i.e. the nullification crisis) and favored Cherokee relocation over civil war . With the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the U.S. Congress had given Jackson authority to negotiate removal treaties, exchanging Indian land in the East for land west of the Mississippi River . Jackson used the dispute with Georgia to put pressure on the Cherokees to sign a removal treaty . </P> <P> The final treaty, passed in Congress by a single vote, and signed by President Andrew Jackson, was imposed by his successor President Martin Van Buren. Van Buren allowed Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama an armed force of 7,000 militiamen, army regulars, and volunteers under General Winfield Scott to relocate about 13,000 Cherokees to Cleveland, Tennessee . After the initial roundup, the U.S. military oversaw the emigration to Oklahoma . Former Cherokee lands were immediately opened to settlement . Most of the deaths during the journey were caused by disease, malnutrition, and exposure during an unusually cold winter . </P> <P> In the winter of 1838 the Cherokee began the 1,000 - mile (1,600 km) march with scant clothing and most on foot without shoes or moccasins . The march began in Red Clay, Tennessee, the location of the last Eastern capital of the Cherokee Nation . Because of the diseases, the Indians were not allowed to go into any towns or villages along the way; many times this meant traveling much farther to go around them . After crossing Tennessee and Kentucky, they arrived at the Ohio River across from Golconda in southern Illinois about the 3rd of December 1838 . Here the starving Indians were charged a dollar a head (equal to $22.98 today) to cross the river on "Berry's Ferry" which typically charged twelve cents, equal to $2.76 today . They were not allowed passage until the ferry had serviced all others wishing to cross and were forced to take shelter under "Mantle Rock", a shelter bluff on the Kentucky side, until "Berry had nothing better to do". Many died huddled together at Mantle Rock waiting to cross . Several Cherokee were murdered by locals . The Cherokee filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Government through the courthouse in Vienna, suing the government for $35 a head (equal to $804.34 today) to bury the murdered Cherokee . </P>

Which native american leader opposed white settlement in the louisiana territory