TRAIL OF TEARS

What was the Trail of Tears? When did it take place and why?

What was the Trail of Tears? When did it take place and why?

The Trail of Tears refers to the forced movement of 15,000 Cherokee Indians during 1838. The Indians were moved from Georgia to Indian Territory which is present day Oklahoma. The move was prompted by the US government under the leadership of president Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson had long been a supporter of Indian removal and although the US Supreme Court declared the Indian removal bill unconstitutional Worcester vs. Georgia 1832 the Indians were rounded up by troops and moved in 1838.[1] The thesis statement fot this essay is the Cherokee were forced to abandon their property, livestock and anccestral grounds.

Cherokee suffered more by lives lost while traveling the trail through severe winter weather. An estimated 25 percent of the Cherokee Nation died during the journey. Once in Indian Territory they were forced to live in designated areas assigned by the government and were made to assimilate with the white man's style of living.

At the beginning of the Nineteenth century, the Cherokee Nation occupied and held land titles in the Appalachian valleys of Georgia and the Carolinas. At the same time, white immigrant communities were encroaching and voicing increasing resentment of the Cherokee property holds. Pressure increased when a gold strike occurred in northern Georgia. Many whites decided that it was time for the Indians to leave their farms, homes, and lands. In 1817, a Cherokee group called "Old Settlers" moved to western lands given them in Arkansas. There they reestablished their native government and a peaceful way of life. However, this Old Settler group was later moved on to Indian Territory.[2]

In 1802, Thomas Jefferson indicated his support for removal of Indians to western territories. ...