Sequoyah was one of the most influential men in Cherokee history. His greatest legacy was his invention of a written version of the Cherokee spoken language, created largely during his time in what is now northeast Alabama. The Cherokee leadership approved its dissemination in 1821 and within a matter of months the Cherokee Nation was mostly literate. By 1828, the tribe established The Cherokee Phoenix, a newspaper printed in both Cherokee and English.
Photos courtesy of: Alamy, Alabama Department of Archives and History,