What was the Trail of Tears? The Trail of Tears started back in the 1800s, white people began to settle in the Native American lands leaving them with nothing in the end. People who lived on the western frontier feared the Natives, to them the natives wanted what the whites wanted and disserved, George Washington though the only way to solve this problem to get what each wanted was to “civilize” the Indians. This idea was to make the Indians as much like the whites as possible, meaning they would have to convert to Christianity, learn to speak English and to be civilized and not live like savages. However what Washington didn’t take into consideration is that they have been living this way for generations long before the whites came to their …show more content…
The law required that the government to negotiate removal treaties fairly, however Jackson and his associates ignored the law and forced the natives from their lands homes and divided their families up tortured them and cut them down right in front of their faces. Federal government drove the Creek tribe from their land for the last time, 3,500 of the 15,000 Creeks who set out for the long journey to Oklahoma never made it they died from starvation exhaustion and diseases the whites brought with them. In 1835 Cherokees negotiated a treaty called the New Echota, all land east of the Mississippi was sold off for 5 million dollars in return for the Indians, also relocation assistance and compassions of lost property. The federal government agreed to these terms, the Indians on the other hand had thought they were cheated and signed a potion, by 1838 only about 2,000 Cherokee Indians had their Georgia home land left for “Indian Territory”. President Martin Van Buren sent General Winfeild, Scott and 7,000 soldiers to drive the Natives from their their land, this started the Removal process. Soldiers forced the Indians into stockades at bayonet point while whites looted their homes and
The Trail of Tears began when white settlers found themselves in favor of the land that belonged to a plethora of Native American tribes such as the Choctaw, Chicasaw, Seminole, and the Cherokee. The United States had been expanding, and was working towards expanding into the southern land. According to the white settlers who were after this land the Indians “were standing in the way of progress”(“Indian Removal” para. 1). The white settlers were after large, vast, and fertile stretches of land and did not care as to whether or not the land was already inhabited.
Most Americans have at least some vague understanding of the Trail of Tears, but not many know about the events that led to that tragic removal of thousands of Indians from their homeland. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government. The Indians had to agree to removal to maintain their tribe identities. Trail of Tears is an excellent example of a particular situation and will be eye opening to those who are not familiar with the story of the southern tribes and their interactions with the rapidly growing American population. The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that indicates the callousness, insensitivity, and cruelty of American government toward American Indians in 1839 and 1839.
This gave Americans wanting to settle the thriving state a possibility. Although, the Seminoles agreed to move onto a reservation in the state’s center, the greed of the settlers was unappeasable. On May 28,1830, The Indian Removal Act was passed by the Congress at President Andrew Jackson’s urging. The Indian removal act gave the government the authority to remove all of the Five Civilized Tribes east of the Mississippi to the Indian Territory in Arkansas and Oklahoma. While the bill specified that they needed consent of the Indians, in reality the situation was that those who didn’t go peacefully were forced to go
The Indian Removal Act, inspired by Andrew Jackson; the 7th president of the US and the enhanced ambition for American settlers to find more land in the southwestern regions of North America. The Indian Removal Act enabled Jackson the power of negotiating removal treaties with Indian tribes east of the Mississippi. Among these tribes were: Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaws and Seminoles. Very few authenticated traits were signed. The Choctaws were the only tribe to agree without any issues. All other attempts resulted in War and blood shed for both white settlers and Indians. The conflict with the U.S. and Indians lasted up until 1837. In 1838 & 1839 Jackson forced the relocation of the remaining Cherokee Indians;
Authorizing the president to exchange unsettled land west of the Mississippi for Indian land within state borders, the Indian Removal Act was signed by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830. Being pursued for nearly thirty years, the relocation of the Indians was desired primarily for pecuniary advantages and the termination of the contention between white settlers and “dangerous” Native Americans. While some tribes accepted their inevitable fate, many resisted and faced harsh government and social brutality. As a result, Jackson’s presidential administration is tainted by the 4,000 lives lost on the Trail of Tears, the separation of the Native Americans from their ancestral lands and cultural ties, and the condemnation of the Native people
The Trail of Tears technically happened from 1838 through 1839, but the issue actually began in the early 1830’s. The reasons behind the Trail of Tear is depressing. The Native Americans were constantly mistreated, they got pushed off land that each tribe has lived in for generations, almost every president had an issue with the Native Americans, the aftermath of the Trial of Tears was devastating. Native Americans in the East Coast in the 1830’s were slowly thrown out of their own land that they had lived on for generations. There were many reasons for taking the Native Americans land.
In the 1830’s America was expanding its border and completing manifest destiny. The one thing standing in the way of Americans moving west was the Native Americans. President Andrew Jackson had a dilemma on his hands. Jackson wanted to create a plan that would make everyone happy. But in the end, Jackson had the Native American removed from their land and led to the “Trail of Tears” where many Native Americans would lose their lives. Looking at the articles by F.P Prucha, Mary E. Young and Alfred A. Cave each one says that the Indians needed to be removed from their land for a different reason.
On may 28, 1830 the Indian Removal Act was passed by the congress and was signed by the current president at the time Andrew Jackson. The Indian Removal Act authorized the president to grant unsettled lands west of Mississippi in exchange for the Native Americans land. This forced Native American tribes to march their way west of Mississippi. Some tribes left in peace but most of the tribes resisted. In 1835 the agreement to, Treaty Of New Echota allowed Jackson to order Cherokee removal. Some Cherokee leaders signed the treaty and left but people under the leadership Chief John Ross resisted until they were forced to move to a new location 1838. Their forced journey to their new location was called the Trail Of Tears. Ever since, Native Americans have been living in reservation lands and the government has taken notice but don’t know if they should give them land or money. The government should be giving Native Americans land instead of money because the reservation lands are not
Most Americans have at least some vague image of the Trail of Tears, but not very many know of the events that led to that tragic removal of several thousand Indians from their homeland. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government, and Indians had to agree to removal to preserve their identity as tribes. Trail of Tears is an excellent snapshot of a particular situation and will be eye opening to those who are not familiar with the story of the southern tribes and their interactions with the burgeoning American population. The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that signifies the callousness of American policy makers toward American Indians in 1839 and 1839.
With the discovery of the New World came a whole lot of new problems. Native American Indians lived in peace and harmony until European explorers interrupted that bliss with the quest for money and power. The European explorers brought with them more people. These people and their descendants starting pushing the natives out of their homes, out of their land, far before the 1800s. However, in the 1800s, the driving force behind the removal of the natives intensified. Thousands of indians during this time were moved along the trail known as Nunna dual Tsung, meaning “The Trail Where They Cried” (“Cherokee Trail of Tears”). The Trail of Tears was not only unjust and unconstitutional, but it also left many indians sick, heartbroken, and dead.
supported a man by the name of Andrew Jackson who was running for President of the
The Trail of Tears is a historical title given to an event that happened in 1838.In this event, the Cherokee community of Native Americans was forced by the USA government to move from their native home in the Southern part of the contemporary America to what is known as the Indian territories of Oklahoma. While some travelled by water, most of them travelled by land. The Cherokees took 6 months to complete an 800 miles distance to their destination.
They were bent on acquiring the valuable lands occupied by the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole Indians. After the Louisiana purchase (an enormous acquisition of land west of the Mississippi in 1803), President Jefferson presumed that these Indians could be persuaded to give up their homes in exchange for land further west. Following Jefferson's lead, President Andrew Jackson pushed for the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The act provided funds for the United States government to negotiate removal treaties with the Indians. The federal government forced tribal leaders to sign these treaties. Factions arose within the tribes, as many opposed giving up their land. Cherokee Principal Chief John Ross even traveled to Washington to negotiate alternatives to removal and pleaded for the government to redress the injustices of these treaties. The United States government listened, but did not deviate from its policy. Although President Jackson negotiated the removal treaties, President Martin Van Buren enforced them. The impact of the removal was first felt by the
In 1830, congress passed The Indian Removal Act, which became a law 2 days later by President Andrew Jackson. The law was to reach a fairly, voluntarily, and peacefully agreement for the Indians to move. It didn’t permit the president to persuade them unwillingly to give up their land by using force. But, “President Jackson and his government
Throughout Jackson’s presidency, Jackson was prone to making questionable decisions. One of Jackson’s most monumental blunders was when he decided to relocate tens of thousands of innocent Native Americans. Jackson was a huge fan of the idea of Americans moving westward to unsettled areas. The Native Americans occupied the areas that Jackson wanted to transform into American cities. That did not halt Jackson from doing what he desired. Jackson displayed his egocentric behavior and called for the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Jackson wanted to move the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole nations from their southeastern homes to Oklahoma. The Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole nations all somewhat cooperatively deserted their homes at the request of the Americans with little fight. These nations forfeited their land, homes and possessions to walk the Trail of Tears, an 850-mile path from the southeastern states to Oklahoma. American soldiers forcefully kept the Natives moving without breaks. Throughout the trek, thousands of Natives died from sickness and starvation. One tribe, the Cherokees from Georgia,