2.6 Trail of Tears and forced removal

The Trail of Tears marks a dark chapter in U.S. history, where Native American tribes were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands. This policy, rooted in European colonization and westward expansion, was championed by President Andrew Jackson and formalized through the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

Despite legal challenges by the Cherokee Nation, the U.S. government proceeded with forced relocation. The brutal journey westward, known as the Trail of Tears, resulted in thousands of deaths from disease, starvation, and exposure. This event had lasting impacts on Native American communities, including loss of land and cultural identity.

Origins of Indian removal policy

• European colonization and westward expansion led to increasing conflicts over land between Native American tribes and white settlers
• U.S. government sought to acquire Native American lands through treaties, often using coercion, manipulation, or force
• Belief in manifest destiny, the idea that U.S. expansion across the continent was inevitable and justified, fueled support for Indian removal policies

Andrew Jackson's role in removal

• Andrew Jackson, who served as a general in the U.S. Army and later as president, was a strong advocate for Indian removal
• Jackson negotiated treaties with Native American tribes, often using threats or force to pressure them into ceding their lands
• As president, Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law and oversaw the forced relocation of thousands of Native Americans

Election of 1828

Top images from around the web for Election of 1828

• 

  NATIVE HISTORY ASSOCIATION - Nashville Toll Bridge Site - Trail of Tears National Historic Trail View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Indian Removal | US History I (OS Collection) View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  The Second Party System | Boundless US History View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  NATIVE HISTORY ASSOCIATION - Nashville Toll Bridge Site - Trail of Tears National Historic Trail View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Indian Removal | US History I (OS Collection) View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

Top images from around the web for Election of 1828

• 

  NATIVE HISTORY ASSOCIATION - Nashville Toll Bridge Site - Trail of Tears National Historic Trail View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Indian Removal | US History I (OS Collection) View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  The Second Party System | Boundless US History View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  NATIVE HISTORY ASSOCIATION - Nashville Toll Bridge Site - Trail of Tears National Historic Trail View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Indian Removal | US History I (OS Collection) View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

• Andrew Jackson ran for president in 1828 on a platform that included support for Indian removal
• Jackson's campaign portrayed Native Americans as savages who needed to be removed from their lands to make way for white settlers
• Jackson's victory in the election was seen as a mandate for his Indian removal policies

Indian Removal Act of 1830

• The Indian Removal Act, signed into law by President Jackson in 1830, authorized the president to negotiate treaties with Native American tribes for their removal to lands west of the Mississippi River
• The act did not specifically authorize the use of force, but Jackson and his administration used military force to pressure tribes into signing removal treaties
• The act resulted in the forced relocation of tens of thousands of Native Americans, including the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes

Cherokee resistance to removal

• The Cherokee Nation, one of the largest and most powerful Native American tribes in the southeastern U.S., strongly opposed removal
• Cherokee leaders, such as John Ross, argued that the Cherokee had a right to their ancestral lands and had adopted many aspects of European-American culture, including a written constitution and system of government
• The Cherokee used legal and political means to resist removal, including petitioning Congress and filing lawsuits in federal court

Cherokee Nation vs Georgia

• In 1831, the Cherokee Nation filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia, arguing that Georgia's laws that restricted Cherokee sovereignty and encouraged Cherokee removal were unconstitutional
• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it did not have jurisdiction over the case because the Cherokee Nation was a "domestic dependent nation" and not a foreign state
• The ruling was a setback for the Cherokee, but they continued to resist removal through legal and political means

Worcester vs Georgia

• In 1832, Samuel Worcester, a white missionary living among the Cherokee, filed a lawsuit challenging Georgia's laws that prohibited white people from living on Cherokee lands without a state license
• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Worcester's favor, finding that the Cherokee Nation was a distinct political community with sovereign authority over its lands and people
• The ruling was a victory for the Cherokee, but President Jackson refused to enforce it, reportedly saying "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it"

Process of forced removal

• Despite the Cherokee's legal and political efforts to resist removal, the U.S. government eventually used military force to remove them from their lands
• In 1838, the U.S. Army began rounding up Cherokee people and forcing them into internment camps, where they were held until they could be forcibly marched west
• The forced march, known as the Trail of Tears, covered over 1,000 miles and took several months to complete

Roundup of Cherokee people

• U.S. Army troops, led by General Winfield Scott, began rounding up Cherokee people in May 1838
• Troops surrounded Cherokee villages and farms, forcing people from their homes at gunpoint and marching them to internment camps
• Many Cherokee were given little time to gather their belongings or prepare for the journey, and were forced to leave behind their homes, farms, and possessions

Conditions on the trail

• The Trail of Tears was a brutal and deadly journey for the Cherokee and other tribes who were forced to march west
• Cherokee were marched over 1,000 miles through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma)
• The journey took place during a harsh winter, and many Cherokee died from exposure, disease, and starvation
  • Inadequate food, clothing, and shelter led to widespread illness and death
  • Many elderly, young children, and pregnant women were among those who died on the trail

Deaths and disease

• Estimates of the number of Cherokee who died on the Trail of Tears vary, but most historians believe that at least 4,000 Cherokee died during the journey and in the internment camps
• Common causes of death included pneumonia, dysentery, and other infectious diseases
  • Lack of proper sanitation and medical care in the internment camps contributed to the spread of disease
• Many Cherokee also died from exposure to the elements, as they were forced to march in the dead of winter without adequate clothing or shelter

Aftermath and impact

• The Trail of Tears and forced removal had a devastating impact on the Cherokee and other Native American tribes
• In addition to the thousands of lives lost, the Cherokee and other tribes were forced to leave behind their ancestral lands and way of life
• The removal also had long-lasting cultural, social, and economic impacts on Native American communities

Loss of ancestral lands

• The forced removal of the Cherokee and other tribes resulted in the loss of millions of acres of ancestral lands
• Many of these lands were quickly taken over by white settlers and speculators, who established farms, plantations, and towns
• The loss of land also meant the loss of sacred sites, burial grounds, and other culturally significant places for Native American communities

Assimilation policies

• After removal, the U.S. government pursued policies aimed at assimilating Native Americans into white American culture
• These policies included forcing Native American children to attend boarding schools, where they were forbidden from speaking their native languages or practicing their traditional cultures
• Assimilation policies were designed to erase Native American cultures and identities, and had a devastating impact on Native American communities and families

Legacy and memorialization

• The Trail of Tears and forced removal of Native Americans remain a shameful chapter in U.S. history
• In recent years, there have been efforts to memorialize the victims of the Trail of Tears and to educate the public about this dark period in American history
  • The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, established in 1987, commemorates the routes taken by the Cherokee and other tribes during forced removal
  • Museums, monuments, and other memorials have been established to honor the memory of those who died on the Trail of Tears and to raise awareness about the ongoing struggles of Native American communities
• Despite these efforts, the legacy of the Trail of Tears and forced removal continues to impact Native American communities to this day, and many argue that the U.S. government has not done enough to acknowledge or atone for these injustices