First issue of the Cherokee Phoenix

Background. The Cherokee Nation faced pressure from the US government and Georgia to remove west or surrender territory. In response, the General Council established a newspaper to communicate with its people. The project relied on the Cherokee syllabary, completed by Sequoyah in 1821 and officially adopted in 1825. This writing system enabled the production of legal documents, educational materials, and religious pamphlets, creating a foundation for a bilingual publication.

Publication. The first issue appeared on 21 February 1828 in New Echota, the Cherokee capital. Samuel Worcester, a missionary, cast the type for the syllabary and laid out the newspaper. Elias Boudinot, born in 1804, wrote the content in both English and Cherokee. The paper was the first published by Native Americans in the US and the first in a Native American language, marking a significant milestone in Indigenous communication.