The Trail of Tears represents one of the most catastrophic eras in the history of the United States. It was the start of the Cherokee tribe’s extermination. The Cherokee Indians have existed on this mainland way longer than anybody of British background however, they were removed in a ruthless style, from their homeland, on which they have lived for countless centuries. This paper will show and prove the detrimental effect it had on the Cherokee. It will be expressed through the way they existed before they were forced off, address the situation that led to their elimination, explain the conditions of travel, and tell what has happened to the Cherokee following the Trail of Tears.
This wasn’t the first time the Cherokee tribe was forced to
The Federal government forced the Indians tribes from their native lands and had to live on reservations. According to history in the 1830s, President Andrew Jackson moved five civilized tribes, the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and the Seminole tribes from their lands. Several surrender for peace because of unfavorable conditions they faced along the way such as starvation, diseases and weather. On the other hand, the Crow allied with the United States, other tribes stayed and fought for the land. A case in point, the Nez tribe tried fleeing to Canada never succeed. The Cherokees suffered hunger, exhaustion and diseases along their way, and that path known as “Trail of Tears.” Cherokees at the end relocated in present Oklahoma. For
Between 1830 and 1850, the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee people were forcibly removed from their ancestral land relocated farther west. It was called the trail of tears because the Indians didn’t want to leave their ancestral home they cried the entire way. 4,000 Cherokee died on a journey later called the trail of tears. Men working in Felds were arrested and driven to the stockades. Women’s were dragged from their homes by soldier whose language the women could not understand. Children were often separated from their parents. Often the old and injured were prodded with bayonets to hasten them to the stockades.
Having little knowledge of the Cherokee removal and the history that took place in this moment in America’s past, the book Trail of Tears: Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation by John Ehle, offers an insight to the politics, social dynamics and class struggles the Cherokee Nation faced in the late 1830s. The book was very comprehensive and the scope of the book covers nearly 100 years of Native American History. Ehle captures the history of the Native American people by showing the readers what led to the events infamously known as the Trail of Tears. The author uses real military orders, journals, and letters which aid in creating a book that keeps
Currently, when the losses suffered by the Cherokee Nation as a result of their forced removal are discussed, there is a focus on the loss in numbers. However, Russell Thornton’s “Cherokee Population Losses During Trail of Tears: A New Perspective and a New Estimate” clearly presents a new, suitably researched perspective that argues the focus should not be only on those that died, but also on those that never lived. Thornton is a professor at UCLA in the Anthropology department. He has a number of degrees related to this study, including a Ph.D. in Sociology and a postdoctoral in Social Relations from Harvard, and specializes in Native American studies. He is clearly appropriately acquainted with this field, and his knowledge of the subject matter is evident in this piece. However, he also cites a number of papers and books by other authors, so as not to rely purely on his knowledge.
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.
The Removal Act of 1830, that forced the Cherokee Indians from their homelands with just the clothes on their backs have created tragic effects which have continued to be passed down from generation to generation, causing a near loss of the Cherokee culture. In 1838, the United States Military utilizing surprise attacks, snatched Cherokee families from their homes, work, and play at bayonet point to face a journey of over a thousand treacherous miles known as the “Trail of Tears” to unprepared land. The Cherokee faced great personal loss that caused a lasting impact on their lives as they were forced to live on new Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma (Wallace 1993). As a result of the brutal forced removal of the Cherokee Indians they now face tragic psychological and emotional problems. Cherokee families today face self-destructive behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse, physical and sexual abuse, and the inability to express feelings and maintain healthy relationships due to the unresolved anger they have towards the loss of their land and culture (Wallace 1993).The Cherokee people fought against the Army of the United States and lost, but their loss is now our collective loss as the numbers of Cherokee people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are rising throughout the Cherokee culture.
There are many new and existing information that I received from reading Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality. One of the already existing ideas that I recall from my high school history classes were the aspects of The Trail of Tears. This is a well-known event because it demonstrated a cruelty among the Indian. By having them leave their lands they endured so much suffering into a path of death. What was horrible after the trail was what happened to the remaining Cherokees that didn’t want to move from their lands. As stated in the reading, “General Scott issued a proclamation within a month every Cherokee men, woman, and child should be headed west. Scott’s troops moved through countryside surrounding houses, removing the occupants, looting and burning houses, and forcing the family into stockades. Men and women were run down in the
Have you ever thought about how much of our country’s history that we are actually thought or given full information on? In most history classes today, a lot of important events are not talked about based how it makes our country look. The Trail of Tears is one of those events. The actual truth is surprising and also brutal.
Body One of the most heartbreaking events in the history of Native American tribes has been the Trail of Tears. This event targeted the five Indian tribes in the east: the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminoles tribes. These tribes were all targeted by the United States government, but the tribe that was impacted the most was the Cherokee Nation. This all started in early 1830s when President Andrew Jackson devised a plan to remove all Native Americans from the east coast.
The Trail of Tears is no exaggeration as to what happened when the Indians were forced to abandon their home. Having to move to a completely different state with no real explanation as to why, one must wonder, how could this happen? It is hard to imagine how someone could justify uprooting thousands of people. Treated unfairly with all claims being ignored, the Indians were forced to move. With legalization by the government it is clear to see how easy it is for history repeats itself.
Assignment #11: Section A: I remember learning about the Trail of Tears in school, specifically eighth grade since I had a teacher who ensured we learned about it. I have considered the impacts it had on Modern-Day Native Americans and how many of them who live on reservations struggle with poverty, alcoholism, and lack of job opportunities. Since learning about the Trail of Tears, I have been appalled at what the Native Americans went through. I learned in the video that the government had not paid the Cherokee nations money from previous treaties and instead trying to force them to sign more treaties.
The Cherokee Indians were native far before any British settler arrived to North America. Yet the Cherokee Indians were still kicked out of their homes even though they had lived there for many centuries before the Americans. This journey for the Native Americans was known as the Trail of Tears. In my paper I will go over the average day of a Native American before they were moved, why some tribes were removed in 1830, and the aftermath the Trail of Tears had on the Cherokee Indians.
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.
Many people have heard of the Trail of Tears, a long and arduous journey that many Cherokees were forced to make, but much less people know of the injustice and discrimination that all Cherokees faced in the years leading up the removal of the Cherokees. And though the removal of the Cherokees was completely illegal, the United States government still sought to justify the Cherokee removal with ideas that in retrospect proved to be mostly opinions and exaggerations.