The Trail of Tears, taking place in the late 1830s, involved the forced removal of approximately 16,000 Cherokee people from their ancestral lands in northwest Georgia to Oklahoma, resulting in the deaths of around 4,000. Driven by a combination of political decisions, social prejudice, and economic desires, particularly following the discovery of gold on Cherokee land, the U.S. government and white settlers pressured the Cherokee to relocate despite their efforts to assimilate and preserve their rights. The culmination of these pressures led to a tragic chapter in American history, marked by suffering and loss as the Cherokee were forcibly displaced.
One of the great tragedies of American history began right here in Georgia. Starting in the late 1830s, about 16,000 Cherokee people were forcibly removed to Oklahoma from their homeland in northwest Georgia. Along the way, approximately 4,000 Cherokee died. In the Cherokee language, this event is known as nu na hi du na tlo hi lu i, which translates to “the trail where they cried.” Historians refer to it as the Trail of Tears.
Following policy dating back to George Washington, a number of early white settlers thought the best way to get along with the Cherokee was to “civilize” them. This meant teaching them to be good Christians, encouraging them to give up hunting and take up farming, and preparing them to become loyal Americans.
A surprising number of Cherokee did exactly this. They stopped hunting, farmed land, and built wood-frame houses. Some even enslaved African Americans. This civilization policy appeared successful as the Cherokee developed their own written language, published their own newspaper, and wrote their own constitution. In short, the Cherokee made real efforts to assimilate.
But Georgia, like the rest of the country, was growing rapidly. White settlers wanted land, and the Cherokee had some of the best land in the Southeast. A popular Georgia song of the time told the story best:
All I want in this creation
Is a pretty little wife and a big plantation
Way up yonder in the Cherokee Nation.
Settler pressure grew even more when, in 1828, gold was discovered on Cherokee land in Georgia. White Georgians rushed in. The state passed laws which reduced Cherokee rights. The government even set up a lottery system that gave away Cherokee land to lucky winners. Fights between white settlers and Cherokee broke out. Many came to believe that the best way to protect the Cherokee was to move them far away.
In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which ordered Native Americans to move to Oklahoma. Some Cherokee followed the order and prepared to leave. Others, led by Chief John Ross, fought for their right to stay. They even won a Supreme Court victory in the case of Worcester v. Georgia. However, President Andrew Jackson ignored the court’s ruling, and plans for “removal” went forward.
In 1835, some Cherokee signed the Treaty of New Echota, which ceded all Cherokee land to the federal government in exchange for five million dollars. However, most of the Cherokee, including Chief John Ross, wanted to fight until the end. This end came in 1838 when the US Army forcibly moved the Cherokee to Oklahoma. This violent action became the disaster known as the Trail of Tears.
Our focus now turns to the reasons for this action. These reasons can be organized into three main categories: politics, social prejudice, and economics. Examine the documents that follow and then answer the question: The Trail of Tears: Why were the Cherokee forced to move? Write a two- to three-sentence summary of the Background Essay, describing time, place, and story.
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