The Cherokee Male Seminary was a

tribal college In the United States, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are a category of higher education, minority-serving institutions defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965. Each qualifies for funding under the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Un ...

established in 1846 by the Cherokee Nation in

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

. Opening in 1851, it was one of the first institutions of higher learning in the United States to be founded west of the Mississippi River.Conley, 56

Creation

After removal to Indian Territory, the Cherokee Nation worked to rebuild its institutions and society. In October 1846, Chief John Ross submitted a proposal to the Cherokee National Council to pass legislation for the creation of institutions of higher learning for both

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

men and women. On November 26, 1846, the Council passed a bill stating that, "Whereas, the improvement of the moral and intellectual condition of our people is contemplated by the Constitution, and whereas, we are now in possession of means sufficient to carry out, to a further degree of maturity, the National system of education already commenced."Foreman, 393 In a ceremony on October 28, 1847, the first cornerstone of the male seminary, containing books and documents, was laid by Chief Ross. Before the school opened, representatives from the Cherokee Nation visited New England seeking teachers and recruited faculty from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, Mount Holyoke College, and Newton Theological Seminary.Agnew, Brad
"Cherokee Male and Female Seminaries."
''Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.'' (retrieved 30 August 2009) $80,000 of tribal funds was allocated for the construction of Cherokee Male Seminary and the Cherokee Female Seminary.Foreman, 408

1851–1856

The Cherokee Male Seminary opened its doors to 27 new students on May 6, 1851. The boarding school occupied a three-story red brick building on a campus located southwest of Tahlequah,

. Curriculum included English grammar, composition, arithmetic,

algebra Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics. Elementary ...

, elocution,

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, philosophy,

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, and language classes in

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, French, and German. To gain admission, prospective students had to pass a two-day examination. The tribe paid for the students' tuition and expenses. By 1856, 13 men graduated from the Male Seminary. New students were not accepted in the fall of 1856. Reopening of the school was delayed until the 1870s due to the effects of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

1870s

After the war, the school was reopened in the 1870s. Students had to pay for their room and board, and the Cherokee Nation opened enrollment to men from other Native American tribes. At the time "the Cherokee Nation had a better common school system than either Arkansas or Missouri," writes historian Grant Foreman.

Closing

Under the assimilationist Curtis Act of 1898, the US federal government systematically dismantled Cherokee tribal institutions, including the Cherokee Male Seminary. The tribe continued using the school building as a co-educational facility after Oklahoma statehood, but it burnt down in 1910. The last students graduated that year, with commencement ceremonies being held at Northeastern State Normal School. The Cherokee Nation has not operated a tribal college since then.

Notable alumni

* William Wirt Hastings (1866–1938), US Representative * Joel B. Mayes (1833–1891),

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Principal Chief is today the title of the chief executives of the Cherokee Nation, of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, the three federally recognized tribes of Cherokee. In the eighteent ...

* Samuel Houston Mayes (1845–1927),

J. B. Milam Jesse Bartley Milam (1884–1949) was best known as the first Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation appointed by a U.S. President since tribal government had been dissolved before Oklahoma Statehood in 1907. He was appointed by President Franklin ...

(1884–1949),

* Clement V. Rogers (1839–1911), Cherokee Nation senator and judge, father of humorist Will RogersConley, 190

Notes

References

*Conley, Robert J.
A Cherokee Encyclopedia.
' Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2007. . *Foreman, Grant.
The Five Civilized Tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole.
' Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1982. . {{authority control Cherokee Nation (1794–1907) Education in Cherokee County, Oklahoma Educational institutions established in 1851 Tribal colleges and universities 1851 establishments in Indian Territory Defunct private universities and colleges in Oklahoma