Between 1838 and 1839, 15,000 cherokees were taken from their ancestral homes in georgia and placed on a forced march, finally ending up in the future state of oklahoma. This forced relocation became known as the trail of tears because of the great hardship faced by cherokees. The physical and mental wellness of native americans on the trail of tears. The book gives the reader a good illusion about what goes on during the time of the removal. The trail of tears was a tragic event in the history of the relationship between the u. Conley gave his readers a great perspective about the cherokee removal out west. The route along which the united states government forced several tribes of native americans, including the cherokees, seminoles, chickasaws, choctaws, and creeks, to migrate to. As everyone knows, the trail of tears is a collection of routes the. What is the historical significance of the trail of tears.
The term trail of tears invokes the collective suffering those people. The cherokee people called this journey the trail of tears, because of its devastating effects. Identify each of the following and explain their importance in jesses journal. The trail of tears national historic trail and the tennessee. Family stories from the trail of tea rs is a collection edited by lorrie montiero and transcribed by grant foreman, taken from th e indianpioneer history collection walking the tra il 1991 is a b ook by jerry ellis describing his 900mile walk re tracing of the trail of t ears in reverse. In childrens books across the world, history is being tampered with and forgotten. Congress designated the trail of tears as a national historic trail in memory of those who had suffered and died during removal. It resulted in the forced marching of about 15,000 men. The migrants faced hunger, disease, and exhaustion on the forced march. A timeline history of the trail of tears timeline trackers. Family stories from the trail of tears taken from the. As everyone knows, the trail of tears is a collection of routes the native americans followed when they were forced out of their traditional homes, near the east of the mississippi river.
Do you think major ridge or john ross had the best strategy for the. Walking the trail 1991 is a book by jerry ellis describing his 900mile walk retracing of the trail of tears in reverse. The food on the trail of tears was very bad and very scarce and the indians would go for two of three days without water, which they would get just when they. Overview of the trail of tears, the forced relocation in the 1830s of native americans from.
A novel of the trail of tears is an outstanding novel to read if you are trying to find out history about the cherokee people. The books then go on to explain the events in more detail. There are certainly other ways to explain how european settlers stole land. The council discussed important matters such as going to war against an. Beginning with the removal of the choctaw in 1831, the trail of tears refers to more than a pathway, but to two decades of policy which led to the deaths of thousands, from malnutrition, disease, murder, drowning, and sometimes simple exhaustion. The trail of tears march caused the death of more than 4,000 cherokee people.
This book is a detailed account of the trail of tears and the cherokee tribe with. Retracing slaverys trail of tears americas forgotten migration the journeys of a million africanamericans from the tobacco south to the cotton south a coffle of slaves being marched. As an aside, i should explain that the red people aint no damn indians. The treaty of echota penned under the indian removal act in 1830 forced the natives to exchange their rich fertile lands in the east for unfertile and poorly maintained lands in the west of mississippi river. Through studying history we come to understand how things change, learn to grasp the factors that. The journal of jesse smoke discussion guide scholastic. The trail of tears is being erased from history cavalier chronicles. The trail of tears was one of the many barbaric attempts by the whites to remove the native americans from their homelands by force. Harry oosahwee discusses the importance of using the cherokee language in trail. Retracing slaverys trail of tears history smithsonian. To ask other readers questions about the trail of tears, please sign up.
Exactly 187 years ago on may 28, 1830, the trail of tears began when. Yes it was a terrible plight for my people but it is a very important part of history. The trail of tears was a series of forced relocations of approximately 60,000 native americans. In brutal conditions, nearly 4,000 cherokees died on the trail of tears. At the beginning of the 1830s, nearly 125,000 native americans lived on millions of acres of land in georgia, tennessee, alabama, north carolina and floridaland their. The phrase trail of tears or as the cherokees call it, the trail where they cried can also refer to the forced relocation of other native american tribes. The trail of tears remains one of the worst human rights disasters to befall native american peoples in united states history.
The historical significance of the trail of tears is that it represents a grave injustice done to native americans by the united states government. The story of the trail of tears is told through the fictionalized journals of jesse smoke, a cherokee boy, in this my name is america novel by joseph bruchac. Andrew jackson, indian removal, and the trail of tears. However, jeffersons policy was also to allow indians to remain east of the mississippi river as long as they became civilized, meaning they were to settle in one.
1029 1600 1566 225 1629 1614 1209 783 233 1344 1614 1091 961 436 662 1463 473 360 581 350 1310 1194 1404 761 1020 572 421 794 1190 1255 582 972 850