“To Conclude on a General Union” Masculinity, the Chickamauga, and Pan-Indian Alliances in the Revolutionary Era

Abstract

Utilizing gender as a lens for understanding the political decisions of Cherokee men in the Revolutionary era, this article examines the evolution of Cherokee manhood as Cherokee men renegotiated their masculinity in the wake of colonial pressures. A group known as the Chickamauga sought to maintain historic expressions of manhood and developed several strategies to do so. In particular, Chickamauga men worked tirelessly to establish pan-Indian alliances and to unite military efforts against American settlers. Amid these efforts, the warrior-diplomat emerged as a masculine ideal in Cherokee society.