The Trail of Tears refers to the forced relocation of Cherokee Native Americans from Georgia to Oklahoma in 1838. Over 4,000 Cherokee died during the march, with disease being a major cause. The Cherokee Nation protested this move, but Presidential support led to their forced relocation. The Cherokee Nation was extremely Westernized and had wealthy members who owned slaves. The Cherokee Nation recovered from their losses and remains one of the largest Native American groups today. The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail was dedicated in 1987 to commemorate the injustices committed by the US government.
The Trail of Tears refers to the U.S. government’s forced relocation of Cherokee Native Americans from their native lands in Georgia to Tahlequah, Oklahoma. This march was devastating and deadly for the Cherokee Nation: over 4,000 deaths occurred during the march and later in Oklahoma. About 20% of the Cherokee Nation died, during the march or shortly thereafter, from diseases such as dysentery.
For the Cherokee nation, this event is called Nunna daul Isunyi, or the path where we cried. The journey was exceptionally difficult, covering over 1,000 miles (about 1,600km). At least 2,000 people died during the march, so it’s not hard to understand the reason for the mourning.
The issues leading up to this devastating US government decision began long before 1838, when the forced march began. Expansion and land treaties in areas surrounding Georgia in the 1800s resulted in the Compact of 1802. Part of this compact was an agreement to relocate Native American populations living on lands defined as Georgia.
The Cherokee Indians, who declared themselves a distinct nation in 1827, protested this move decision. Several lawsuits went before the US Supreme Court challenging the US government’s right to forcibly relocate members of the Cherokee Nation, and not all Americans were in support of these actions. In particular, Davy Crockett and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson opposed actions taken by the US government and spoke or wrote impassioned appeals on behalf of the Cherokee.
The treaty which was ratified by the US government, ostensibly relinquishing any land east of the Mississippi by the Cherokee, was not signed by any Cherokee leader. Presidential support, first from Andrew Jackson and then from Martin Van Buren, however was for forced relocation. As a result, the Cherokee were driven from their homes at gunpoint in 1838 and set out to march the Trail of Tears.
Most of the Cherokee Nation, about 17,000 people, were forced to march, and much of the relocation was actually conducted and overseen by Cherokee leaders. It should be noted that the Cherokee group was extremely Westernized compared to some of the other Native American groups. They lived in villages, made use of the American political system, and wealthy Cherokee could own slaves. In fact, 2,000 slaves also marched the Trail of Tears with their Cherokee owners.
About 1,000 Cherokee people were exempt from the forced march because they lived on land already owned by people who opposed the march. Additionally, approximately 400 Cherokee people in North Carolina escaped the trek. However, most people in the Cherokee Nation endured the indignities and hardships of this forced march.
Perhaps due to the Cherokee’s strength as a nation and ability to work with the United States government, the Cherokee Nation recovered from their devastating losses and remained one of the largest Native American groups in the present day. Efforts have since been made to commemorate and compensate for the intense suffering inflicted on the Cherokee Nation by the United States government.
A 2,000-mile (3,218.69 km) trail called the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail was dedicated in 1987. The trail passes through nine states and serves as a reminder of the injustices committed by the United States government against early Americans.
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