Trail Of Tears

Words: 1683
Pages: 7

National Humanities stated that, “The Cherokees' march was a forced one under the direction of the United States army, and it came to be known as the ‘Trail of Tears’ or, in their own term, ‘The Place Where They Cried.’ Removal was a tragedy as thousands of people were forced to leave behind their homes, livestock, crops, and places that had spiritual significance for them” (National Humanities). Throughout history, the United States has enforced their will upon minority groups, most notably the Native Americans. One of the earliest examples of this was after the Revolutionary War, when the United States had just become an independent country and decided to push the Indians westward due to their nativist ideas. The Trail of Tears was an …show more content…
The Georgia citizens as well as the state government decided not to abide by the federal decision, and they proceeded to force the Natives out of their land. According to John Ehle, the Indians were offered a treaty to move to an area west of the Arkansas territory. They could then advance their lives through an extensive government. They would have the absolute right to this territory. The United States would supply them with certain necessities such as food, clothing, and supplies. They would also receive money to build schools and churches as well as money for property left behind, such as livestock (Ehle 257). As mentioned in “A Brief History of the Trail of Tears”, this treaty mentioned, the Treaty of New Echota, allowed for the Indians to move west. A group of Cherokee Indians signed off to obtain land in the west in turn for their land in Georgia (“A Brief History”). The Trail of Tears was that migration west to the new territory. The round-up of Indians was brutal. Perdue and Green describe the harsh realities of families who were abruptly taken from their homes without resistance due to the threat of death. Some families were even separated due to the untimeliness. If a member was not home, they were simply left behind (Perdue 124). An estimated 4,000 people died on the dangerous trek through the cold winter. Little food supply and water as well as disease accompanied the high mortality rate. The Trail of Tears was just one example of harsh treatment of the Native Americans by the United