page_title: Tribal sovereignty in the United States
section_title: The Marshall Trilogy, 1823–1832
hierarchical_section_title: Tribal sovereignty in the United States / Early history / The Marshall Trilogy, 1823–1832
caption_attribution_description: English: Hassanamisco Reservation This is an image of a place or building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States of America. Its reference number is 11000615
context_page_description: Tribal sovereignty in the United States is the concept of the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves within the borders of the United States. Originally, the U.S. federal government recognized American Indian tribes as independent nations, and came to policy agreements with them via treaties. As the U.S. accelerated its westward expansion, internal political pressure grew for "Indian removal", but the pace of treaty-making grew nevertheless. Then the Civil War forged the U.S. into a more centralized and nationalistic country, fueling a "full bore assault on tribal culture and institutions", and pressure for Native Americans to assimilate. In the Indian Appropriations Act of 1871, without any input from Native Americans, Congress prohibited any future treaties. This was steadfastly opposed by Native Americans. Currently, the U.S. recognizes tribal nations as "domestic dependent nations" and uses its own legal system to define the relationship between the federal, state, and tribal governments.
context_section_description: The Marshall Trilogy is a set of three Supreme Court decisions in the early nineteenth century affirming the legal and political standing of Indian nations.
  Johnson v. M'Intosh (1823), holding that private citizens could not purchase lands from Native Americans.
  Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831), holding the Cherokee nation dependent, with a relationship to the United States like that of a "ward to its guardian".
  Worcester v. Georgia (1832), which laid out the relationship between tribes and the state and federal governments, stating that the federal government was the sole authority to deal with Indian nations.
caption: Hassanamisco Nipmuc Indian Reservation Sign
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