"As the Cherokees reside principally within the territory claimed by North Carolina, and as that State is not a member of the present Union, it may be doubted whether any efficient measures in favor of the Cherokees could be immediately adopted by the general government ..."
One of the changes made in the Constitution from what was in the Articles was the dropping of the word "perpetual."
Other perpetual agreements in the past also didn't last very long. Remember the perpetual Articles of Confederation of the United Colonies of New England; May 19, 1643 [Link]? Remember the perpetual peace between Britain and the United States stated and agreed to by all parties in the 1783 Treaty of Paris?
Good points, all.
“The Constitution that formed our present Union does not say it is perpetual...”
It doesn’t need to. It was already agreed to as a perpetual Union. Does it say the Union is no longer perpetual?
“...and the Union formed by it is not the same Union formed by the Articles of Confederation.”
I always thought they were the same states. Which ones were different?
As to the George Washington quote, admittedly there was a period of ambiguity during which some States were deciding whether of not to break the agreement. They decided not to.
“Other perpetual agreements in the past also didn’t last very long.”
We’re discussing whether or not there is a right. Just because perpetual agreements are broken, just because someone does something, doesn’t mean there is a right to do so, except maybe the right of might.