Trail Of Tears Research Paper

In 1830, gold was found in Western Georgia. Unfortunately, The Cherokee had lots of land there. Settlers ignored that and began to invade western Georgia. President Andrew Jackson then decided to sign the Indian Removal Act, because he believed that assimilation wouldn’t work. This act gave him power to order the removal of any tribe at any time. In 1835, The Treaty of New Echota was signed, which said that the Cherokee would leave their land and walk to Oklahoma. They refused to leave so after two years, they were forced out. Andrew Jackson and the U.S. Government had many reasons for the removal of the Cherokee people, but the Cherokee also had many reasons for why it shouldn’t have happened. Eventually, their removal had devastating effects on the Cherokee culture.

The Indian Nations lost nearly half their land due to the Reconstruction treaties of 1866, which required the land lost to be used for resettlement of more Indian tribes. Indian populations within Indian Territory did not change much from 1865 to 1900, but the non- Indian populations soon outnumbered the Indian populations six to one (Baird and Goble, p 126). Lane – Pomeroy Plan pushed by the Kansas representatives, James Lane and Samuel Pomeroy, to pressure the Federal government to remove more Indians to Indian Territory (Baird and Goble, p 131). The Homesteading movement increased pressure to relocate Indians to Indian Territory to open up more lands in surrounding states for settlement. Upwards to 15,000 Indians were relocated to Indian Territory during the Second Trail of Tears (Baird and Goble, p 131). The increased diversity between Indian tribes and the growing non-Indian population created a tension for Indians to maintain control of Indian Territory, which grew worse as the territory edged closer to statehood.

The Natives did not leave at the same rate and in the same group, because only 2,000 agreed to leave at the desired time and the rest refused. Their refusal caused the president to send in soldiers to move them out. While the soldiers moved them out on a route known as “The Trail of Tears,” a vast majority of the population of Natives contracted diseases and died on their movement to their designated lands. After the first group moved, in 1840 tens of thousands of Natives had been driven off their land in the South and were then forced to move across the Mississippi Indian territory. Even though the federal government had promised that the Natives could still continue to own their land, it ended up being a lie. As the Indian settlement traveled further to the West the “Indian Country” got smaller and smaller over time. It resulted in Oklahoma becoming a state and the Indian Territory gone

On May 28, 1830 Andrew Jackson, the president at the time, signed the Indian Removal Act making it a law. The law gave the U.S. government the right to exchange land west of the Mississippi for Indian Territory in the state borders. Some tribes relocated peacefully, but most resisted the relocation. The United States government forced Cherokee Indians to move and 4,000 of them died being relocated giving the forced movement the name “Trail of Tears.”

In the 1800’s tensions were rising between the whites and Indians over land. One of the Indian tribes called the Cherokee would be forced to leave their land due to a law passed by Congress called the Indian Removal Act, which detailed the relocation of Indian tribes to a new territory. Because of the law being passed, The Cherokee nation decided to make a strong case to the United States court for keeping their land in Georgia and North Carolina. In their plea to the government, the Cherokee people focused preserving the land of their ancestors and reminding the United States government, they were an independent nation whose rights should be protected under the law.

In 1831, the Cherokee nation went to court against the state of Georgia. They were disputing the state’s attempt to hold jurisdiction over their territory. Unfortunately, because they are not under the laws of the constitution, the Indian’s right to court was denied. It was not until 1835 that the Cherokee finally agreed to sign the treaty, giving up their Georgia land for that of Oklahoma.

For the treaty to pass, it had to be ratified by the United States Senate. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster spoke against the treaty, but despite their best efforts, it passed. Chief John Ross led the Ross Party that was made up of those against the removal and Treaty of Echota. More than 16,000 Cherokee Indians of 17,000 signed Ross’s petition against the treaty. That means over 94 percent of the indians were against the treaty used by the United States government to justify their actions against the native Cherokee people. The Treaty of Echota sealed the fate of the people despite the fact that they were unfairly represented (History).

The bill passed the House and Senate by a narrow margin. The Indians’ land was basically stolen right out from under their feet. When Cherokees refused to leave in 1833, Jackson used military pressure to force them into marching to Oklahoma. The Trail of Tears, illustrated in Document G, took the lives of almost 4000 Cherokees, exposing the prejudice and greediness of Jacksonian democracy. Jackson’s killing of the Bank also demonstrates his damage to personal liberties, in this case, the wealthy class.

As another decade started, so completed another lifestyle for the Cherokee. Many thousands moved to an Indian area where they were guaranteed to stay undisturbed. Be that as it may, history rehashes itself when the whites kept on stressing for more land, more cash, and more power. As they moved farther west, so did the Indians. Indian Territory progressed toward becoming Oklahoma, and their region wasn't theirs any more

In this agreement, nearly a quarter of a century before Cherokee removal was a major issue, the inevitable removal of the tribe was already established. No Cherokee was told of this agreement nor did they approve it. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the removal of the Cherokees to the West was possible however public support was not with the government. Since the Cherokee’s had fought with the United States against the Creek Indians, the

The law permitted the president to grant lands west of the Mississippi River to Native Americans in exchange for the lands they occupied. The United States government forcibly took lands owned by Native Americans and expelled them into territory outside of its borders. During the Trail of Tears, the forced relocation of the Cherokee tribe, approximately 4,000 died. Law and policy in relation to Native Americans rendered this period tumultuous, cruel, and void of justice.

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.

In the beginning of the national government and the Cherokee’s relationship, tensions were already running high. The white people saw the Cherokee as savages and nothing more. To begin the removal west process, the national government passed the Treaty of New Echota. This treaty stated that the Cherokee

The government did not give them any food, water or supplies to survive the journey they had to make. By 1838, only about 2,000 Cherokees had left their Georgia homeland for Indian territory. In response troops forced the Cherokee into stockades at bayonet point while whites looted their homes and belongings. They marched them over 1,000 miles into Indian territory. Many illnesses occurred on the journey leading historians to believe that over 5,000 Cherokee members died.

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.