Emphasizing the dedication with which John Ross (1790-1866) labored to achieve Cherokee social and political cohesion, this biography details the historical and political events which influenced Ross's attempts to make the U.S. honor its treaty obligations and thwart the Federal "Removal Policy" (removal of American Indians from their lands in the East to less desirable lands in the West). Describing Ross as a man of integrity with a "facility for articulating the Cherokee cause", this treatise maintains that his genius "lay in his ability to recognize boundaries, geographic and psychological, and to guide the cautious Cherokees within those limits." The 12 chapters which describe Ross's personal and political development are titled as follows: (1) "Ancestry and Identity"; (2)"Political Apprenticeship" (weaned on tribal politics and having English facility, Ross became the protege of Charles Hicks and Major Ridge); (3) "The Georgian Thrust" (Ross vs Georgia and Federal government removal policies); (4) "Cherokee Impasse" (the fight frustrated); (5) "Treaty of New Echota" (a removal treaty signed by Ross's opposition); (6) "Year of Decision" (1837-38 when Ross capitulated to removal); (7) "Interregnum" (post-removal period); (8) "Semblance of Unity" (annulment attempts); (9) "Travail and Tranquility" (Cherokee divisiveness and the Treaty of 1846); (10) "Civil War" (Southern alliance); (11) "Reconstruction"; (12) "In Retrospect" (an evaluation). (JC)