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Why Tsali Won The Trail Of Tears

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President Andrew Jackson issued the Indian Removal Act in 1830. In 1838, 15,000
Cherokee were forced 800 miles west from North Carolina to Oklahoma, because of the new discovery of gold and demand for Cherokee land. 1 out of every 4 Cherokee died on the 189- day journey. This journey became known as the Trail of Tears. One of those Cherokee people who walked the journey of the Trail of Tears was Tsali, a 60 year old man, who never made it to Carolina yet didn’t die on the trail.

Tsali was a full-blood Cherokee, he lived in valley where news came slowly. By the time
Tsali heard some chiefs had already signed away their homeland, the Georgia Militia had already started to force Cherokees to leave. One source claims Tsali encountered two …show more content…

Soon enough the Georgia Militia approached Tsali’s house, after this point sources differ. One source says, Tsali stood his ground and would not move. Tsali told the militiamen he rather die on his land, than leave it. Tsali’s four sons and their mother agreed, but the youngest son was only a boy, and Tsali begged to spare him. Tsali’s sons told their wives to go to the relocation camp with their youngest brother. Then after Tsali, his wife, and his sons were all …show more content…

One of Scott’s soldiers prodded Tsali’s wife, because she was walking to slowly. At night, Tsali stabbed the soldier who prodded his wife, and then he ran to the mountains with his family. They found a cave and hid with other families, General Scott knew where the Indians were hiding but considered them to few to bother about. General Scott sent William Thomas, a Georgian adopted by Yonaguska, to make a proposal to Tsali. His proposal was, if Tsali and his sons gave themselves up to be tried for a murder of a soldier, Scott would forget about the rest of the Indians in hiding. Tsali and his sons agreed and went to General Scott’s headquarter. Since Tsali’s youngest son was just a boy, Scott spared him.

Another source claims had a totally different approach on dealing with the soldier who prodded his wife with bayonet. Tsali's escape plan was he would trip and fall, and when the soldiers would come to check if he was alright, one of his kinsmen would jump on them from behind and take their guns and run into the hills.

This source also claims Tsali and his brother-in-law never wanted to kill a soldier, but in the struggle of leaving an accidental discharge left one soldier dead. Tsali and his family fled to acave with was concealed under Clingman's Dome. This is now a part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Tsali was unaware of the 1,000 other Cherokee Indians hiding in the remote area

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