The Cherokees in 1828 were not nomadic savages. In fact, they had assimilated many European-style customs, including the wearing of gowns by Cherokee women. They built roads, schools and churches, had a system of representational government, and were farmers and cattle ranchers. Thousands of Cherokee Indians died during the Trail of Tears, when the Indian Removal Act was passed by Congress in 1830. The Cherokees were forced to move out of their Georgia land and migrate towards the West. As a way to fight against the act, the Cherokees developed the independent Cherokee Nation, which led to the Cherokee Nation v. Georgia and Worchester v. Georgia cases.