Unknown to many of the Native Americans at the time of their capture, they were leaving their home behind forever as well as their livelihoods. When General Scott and his men came and arrived to force people out of their homes, many people “did not have blankets and many of them had been driven from home barefooted”(Burnett). At the time of their capture, they were not given any information, which made their journey very brutal considering many of them did not have the proper protection from the harsh weather. As they started on their long journey “many of the children rose to their feet and waved their little hands good-by to their mountain homes, knowing they were leaving them forever”(Burnett). The people that were left in the tribe at the time did not sign up to leave their homes, which demonstrates how powerless they were over the invasion. In fact, the leaders of these tribes signed the treaties then ran off and the 17,000 people that were left did not agree with the treaty; however, they were still forced to go to Oklahoma. The humiliation began as soon as the General Scott’s troops arrived in the Cherokee territory. Private John Burnett explained how he saw the Cherokee as they were “dragged from their homes, and driven at the bayonet point into stockades”(Burnett). It was as if the Native Americans were wild animals that were …show more content…
In the proposals prior to the journey, officials made people believe it would be an easy journey. The language of the Indian Removal Act foreshadowed the horrific treatment of the Native Americans referring to them as savages and barbarians. The actions towards Native Americans were humiliating and degrading including being dragged from their homes and buried in unmarked graves. These Native Americans were forced to leave their entire livelihood behind only to support the white cause, which did not benefit them in any