They paid little heed to the rights and needs of the settlers.

Neither did they keep in mind the powerlessness of the Federal Government to enforce against these settlers what their treaty promised the Indians.

The pioneers along the upper Tennessee and the Cumberland had made various arrangements with bands of the Cherokees, sometimes acting on their own initiative, and sometimes on behalf of the State of North Carolina.

Many of these different agreements were entered into by the whites with honesty and good faith, but were violated at will by the Indians.

Others were violated by the whites, or were repudiated by the Indians as well, because of some real or fancied unfairness in the making.