Trail of Tears

Indian removal first came into being after the Louisiana Purchase. Thomas Jefferson, the president at the time, conducted a deal with France, which nearly doubled the U.S. and land area. But this land was not empty, an entire population of Native Americans inhabited this land, including the creek, Seminole Choctaw suit, and Cherokee people. Land-hungry Americans wanted to take this new territory from the Indians and claim it for themselves, but the natives have lived there for centuries before and did not want to leave their sacred homelands. This resulted in a conflict that carried on throughout Andrew Jackson's presidency and resulted in the largest movement of Native Americans west of the Mississippi River, also known as one of the most tragic chapters in our nation's history, the trail of tears. In 1825, American citizens were already beginning to move into Indian territory illegally to try and claim the land for themselves. But then gold was discovered on Native American land, and its inhabitants were seen as nothing more than an obstacle which had to be overcome as quickly as possible. Despite the natives appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court and attempting to treat with the U.S. government, Andrew Jackson ultimately authorized the removal of thousands of Native Americans by passing the Indian removal act of 1830. The concept of adopting more civilized ways of life as it had been explained during the 1780s was introduced to the natives and actually accepted by many groups, major ridge, a Cherokee chief, had previously been provided new farming tools and his wife tools for sewing, so he was much more open to the idea. The Cherokee nation was established in 1827 with the help of major ridge, and it was a government created by and poor than Native Americans that reflected much of the U.S. government's qualities. Yet, despite the willingness and genuine attempts at assimilation, the removal act was still put into place. John Ross, who was elected principal chief of the Cherokee nation in 1827, fought against removal policies and attempts to sell Cherokee land, resisting anything of the sort until 1838, when he realized there was no other option, major ridge also strongly opposed the attempt to removal until he too, believing that the only solutions were warfare or negotiation with the U.S. agreed. He then illegally signed the new a coat at treaty, Andrew Jackson signed, and it passed in the Senate with one vote. Other chair keep people decided it was best to leave rather than resist in face the ever growing number of U.S. citizens, moving into Native American territory, and threats of stealing livestock and burning down homes. The trail of tears followed. From 1837 to 1838, 4000 Native Americans died on the journey westward. One of the deaths was John Ross wife Katie, who perished from cold after giving an ill child her blanket. The winter was harsh on the Indians who were ill prepared for the long desolate journey ahead of them because they were not allowed to gather their belongings. The cold of winter heightened the death rate along with starvation and disease. Mary Cobb agnew traveled the west with her grandparents as a child, and though she was too young to remember what the journey was like, her mother's parents told her later. The cherokees came a group at a time until all got to the territory. They brought only a few things with them traveling by wagon train. Old men and women sick men and women were bride. Most of them walked, and the men in charge drove them like cattle, and then he died en route and many other cherokees died in Tennessee waiting to cross the Mississippi River. Dysentery broke out in their camp by the river and many died, and many died on the journey, but my grandparents got through all right. Another woman named Kate ray cliff was told by her mother, those who came over the trail of tears would not stop for sickness and would stop only long enough to dig a rude grave when anyone died, and then the brief family was forced to move right along. Because of the merciless trick from their homes to reservations set up in Oklahoma, 4000 Native Americans died, exposure to cold, hunger, and illness continued to affect the people even after arriving at the reservations in Oklahoma. This was easily one of the greatest tragedies in all of our nation's history against an innocent people who passed down an incredible culture. It is an ugly scar on the face of our nation's history, but the Cherokee and other Native American people still live on today and embrace the same ancient traditions, passing them down on their culture so that they may live on.