ipl-logo

Trail Of Tears: Horrible And Genocidal Act

739 Words3 Pages

Ares M. Vranka
Dan Mader
US History & Geography
24 March 2023
Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears was a horrible and genocidal act towards the “civilized tribes'' of the southern regions. The Trail of Tears was an act for western expansion put into effect by Andrew Jackson in his “Indian Removal Act''. Jackson wanted to continue western expansion by any means necessary and thus the trail of tears was set into motion in the early 1830s. The Trail of Tears was overall a dreadful act of forced displacement, ethnic cleansing, and unwarranted death towards the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes.
Americans were focused on western expansion in the name of manifest destiny, they thought that god wanted them to have the land. …show more content…

So much of their culture was connected to the land they had lived on for thousands of years. The Cherokee were farmers for over a thousand years before the Trail of Tears living in permanent villages. The Chickasaw had a highly developed system of laws and religion and conducted successful trade. Like the Cherokee the Choctaw and Creek were big on agriculture, specifically corn, beans, and squash mostly used for trade. The Creek tribe was resourceful and self-sufficient living in harmony with the land, not taking advantage of it. The Seminole tribe had mixed origins of a branch of Lower Creeks and runaway black slaves from nearby plantations. The Tribes known for farming were moved to land that was considered too arid and nowhere near as fertile as the south. All of the tribes were stripped from their culture, moved to brand new land away from everything that had made their land home. Sacred places gone, villages gone, agriculture gone, and tribe members gone, …show more content…

The river routes were quite notorious for people contracting disease and having disease spread quickly due to close proximity with those who had fallen ill. Being on a raft/canoe in close proximity to other people who are sick with deadly diseases is a recipe for disaster because there's nowhere to go, no medical care whenever anybody gets ill. Disease runs rampant through the overland routes as well along with food scarcity and brutally hot or cold weather. There was little shelter/ coverage from the hot and cold, and little food to go around to everyone who was hungry. Due to the estimated 4,000-8,000 Cherokee, 4,000 Choctaw, and 3,500 Creeks who lost their lives the Trail of Tears was not only a trail of tears but a trail of

Show More
Related
481 Words | 2 Pages

When the indians were being removed to the west over 4,000 cherokees died. These indians died because the U.S wanted more land which was not right because they were here first. This was called “The Trail of Tears”. On May 28 1830 two years later after Andrew Jackson was elected as the president, he signed the Removal Act. Before the Cherokees left their land they refused.

Read More
277 Words | 2 Pages

The trail of Tears was an unethical decision implemented by the government of the United State. The President Jackson used force to push the native American out of their lands. According to www.ushistory.gov, << Over 20,000 Cherokees were forced to march westward along the Trail of Tears. About a quarter of them died along the way>>.

Read More
737 Words | 3 Pages

In 1838 and 1839, as part of Andrew’s Jackson’s Indian removal policy, The Cherokee nation was forced to give up its land east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee people called this journey “The Trail of Tears”, because of its effects. The migrants

Read More
1888 Words | 8 Pages

In the year 1830, Andrew Jackson and congress passed the Indian Removal Act with little opposition within the government. The result was the death of thousands of Native Americans as well as skirmishes between Native Americans and the United States Military. The end result of the Indian Removal Act was the Trail of Tears, which was the path that the Native Americans took to move west. While taking this path, the Native Americans placed a marker for every person that died, because of the lack of food and harsh conditions, creating a trail of markers for the dead, hence the name Trail of Tears. In Document A, the text states,” He imposed a cruel policy of Indian removal, forcing tribes of the Southeast across a brutal march to the Oklahoma territory.”

Read More
274 Words | 2 Pages

The Trail of Tears is undoubtedly one of the most inhumane events in U.S history. It all started with the Indian removal act enforced by President Andrew Jackson. The U.S military were ordered to forcefully evict many innocent people and have them walk extremely long distances during excruciating weather. Many Indians dropped dead in the midst of the trail causing grief for the Indians hence, its name Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears was an abomination for the U.S due to the fact that this act was unconstitutional,caused mass genocide, and the land had originally belonged to the natives.

Read More
1086 Words | 5 Pages

While making this gruesome travel more than 4,000 Indians died from disease, starvation and treacherous conditions. This travel became known as the “trails of tears”. These Native Americans were not how white settlement described them. Many of the tribes adopted Euro-american practices and created their own communities with schools and churches, even developed their own languages and created bilingual newspapers.

Read More
731 Words | 3 Pages

More than 4,000 died before they reached their various destinations. Davy Crockett was U.S congressman of tennessee. Cherokee authorities estimated that 6,000 men,women,and children died on the Trail of Tears. Some Cherokee escaped to North Carolina. The Trail of Tears is called the Trail of Tears because of the Cherokees forced removal.

Read More
1102 Words | 5 Pages

Indians were being surrounded a whole nation and not willing to give up their life style and costumes, relocation was best option in order to stay alive and take care of their culture. During the late 1820s a number of small “civilized tribes” had become a part of American society; some have moved into cabins, houses, and even mansions. After the Indian Removal Act of 1830, there was great unpleasant experience among the Indians who decided to remain on the natural land and way of life. Some of the Indians rejected the money given by Americans for their land. They stated that too much of their land had been taken already in the past 20 years and would defend and die for the land if it was necessary.

Read More
1022 Words | 5 Pages

However, drought took over and some Cherokee did not make it on the boats in time. They were forced to walk over 1,200 miles in groups of 1,000, so weakness and lack of clothes or possessions overcame them and thousands died along the way. The promise of help from the government was a lie, and countless Indians were killed by this act. Even after all the Natives were forced into

Read More
912 Words | 4 Pages

In 1838, the Cherokees were forced to give up their lands and to migrate to present-day Oklahoma, due to the signing of The Treaty of New Echota. The Cherokees were deported from their homes, betrayed by the government whom they treated with respect, separated them from their land that they nurtured; the Cherokee struggled to understand how to make a new life. The Indian Removal led to thousands of Cherokees to die due to starvation, diseases, and exhaustion during their march known as The Trail of Tears. This paper will discuss the effects it had on the Cherokees and what has happened during the trail.

Read More
978 Words | 4 Pages

Trail of Tear In the 19th century, the U.S. decides to expand it territories into the homelands of the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole (also known as the “Five Civilized Tribes”). Destroying the homes of the natives all for growing cotton. Such an unlawful act for a selfish reason. Starting with Andrew Jackson and the Indian removal act leading to tension rising between the tribes. Contributing to the to the split of the cherokees at pea ridge and the battle of Wilson's creek.

Read More
720 Words | 3 Pages

The Trail of Tears was a cold hearted crime committed against innocent people in order to obtain the riches of the land the Native Americans had settled upon. The Native American’s refusal to leave resulted in the death of around 4,000 Cherokee people due to hunger, disease and long exposure to the cold. The Trail of Tears was the greatest crime against the indigenous people. The Trail of Tears began when President Andrew Jackson authorized the removal of the Indian removal act of 1830.

Read More
1028 Words | 5 Pages

[us] birth. " Americans forcefully removed them so they could grow cotton and mine. The Cherokee tribe was one of the Native American tribes that faced the removal from their own land. The Cherokee mined gold in their southern territories.

Read More
499 Words | 2 Pages

They were forced to travel on foot or by horse-drawn wagons for more than 1,200 miles, often without proper clothing or supplies. Thousands died along the way, and those who survived arrived in Indian Territory traumatized and displaced. The Trail of Tears had a devastating impact on the Cherokee Nation, and its effects are still felt today. The Trail of Tears was not an isolated event, but rather a culmination of a larger pattern of forced removal and displacement of Native American tribes throughout the history of the United States.

Read More
1105 Words | 5 Pages

Many tribes had cultural ties to the environment itself. When the Americans established the Indian Removal Act, the Native Americans were forced to leave these cultural grounds. Those who refused to leave their original homeland had to conform to the ways of colonial life instead

Read More

More about Trail Of Tears: Horrible And Genocidal Act

Related Topics

Open Document