Essay on The Cherokee Trail of Tears

Most Americans have at least some vague image of the Trail of Tears, but not very many know of the events that led to that tragic removal of several thousand Indians from their homeland. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government, and Indians had to agree to removal to preserve their identity as tribes. Trail of Tears is an excellent snapshot of a particular situation and will be eye opening to those who are not familiar with the story of the southern tribes and their interactions with the burgeoning American population. The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that signifies the callousness of American policy makers toward American Indians in 1839 and 1839.

In 1830, gold was found in Western Georgia. Unfortunately, The Cherokee had lots of land there. Settlers ignored that and began to invade western Georgia. President Andrew Jackson then decided to sign the Indian Removal Act, because he believed that assimilation wouldn’t work. This act gave him power to order the removal of any tribe at any time. In 1835, The Treaty of New Echota was signed, which said that the Cherokee would leave their land and walk to Oklahoma. They refused to leave so after two years, they were forced out. Andrew Jackson and the U.S. Government had many reasons for the removal of the Cherokee people, but the Cherokee also had many reasons for why it shouldn’t have happened. Eventually, their removal had devastating effects on the Cherokee culture.

They soon received about 32 million acres of land in Oklahoma. Jackson soon after the act relocated 10,000 members of the 5 tribe. The Cherokees tried to sue the government because they have adapted well to the "white culture" and now is being moved to a different location. Unfortunately because they were just Native Americans they had no legal standing in the court. They were forced to move and when the refused the event Trail of Tears occurred.

Paper has to be followed. One treaty the cherokee signed is the echota treaty . this treaty costed 3 lives of men this treaty consisted of the forcible removal of cherokee’s from georgia. The treaty of new echota was signed

Until 1828, the federal government agreed that Cherokee had rights to their land, but when Andrew Jackson was elected President, that all ended. Jackson refused to believe that the tribes were sovereign and thus viewed Indian treaties, as an absurdity

Indian Springs treaty, February 12 1825 - This treaty was gonna give the state of alabama 3 million acres but the indians had to move

With the Indian Removal Act passing through both houses of Congress, Jackson was free to begin his so-called negotiations. The Choctaws were the first to sign a treaty with the United States government. They were allowed to stay on a small area of their land, but they were given little protection. Their land was mercilessly stolen from them by nearby white settlers, and the government turned its eye while it happened. Sadly, the group had no other option but to give up their land and move west (PBS.org).

He wanted to end negotiations with the Cherokee Indians. Jackson alongside other politicians pressured the federal government into extinguishing the Indians and removing them from Georgia. The Treaty of New Echota, which is another factor that contributed to the removal of the Indians. A latter group consisting of Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinat, signed the treaty without the consent of the Cherokee Indian representative, or the Cherokee government. This treaty requires the Indians to relocate the Cherokee nation from Georgia, to and Indian reservation in 2 years. Regardless that the treaty was not signed by anyone affiliated with the Cherokee government, the treaty was still ratified. The movement was enforced by soldiers and was known as the Trail of

In 1831, the Cherokee nation went to court against the state of Georgia. They were disputing the state’s attempt to hold jurisdiction over their territory. Unfortunately, because they are not under the laws of the constitution, the Indian’s right to court was denied. It was not until 1835 that the Cherokee finally agreed to sign the treaty, giving up their Georgia land for that of Oklahoma.

Chief John Ross sent a letter to to the Senate and House of Representatives. In it he stated that a select group of Cherokee members who agreed and wanted to participate in the removal and had false representations of the tribe, signed the treaty when they were approached by men of the government( Ross, Paragraph 2). The U.S. government representatives knew that the Cherokee as a whole did not favor the removal, so they approached the ones the minority of tribesmen who did. The government knew that John Ross was the set leader of the Cherokee nation and they should of have approached him seeing as he was in charge of the tribe's best interest as a whole, not have been

John Ridge, his father Major Ridge, and his cousin Elias Boudinot were part of the treaty process that would relocate the Cherokee Nation called, “The Treaty of New Equota”. It is evident in the book that John Ridge was in favor of signing the treaty because he thought that he would be protecting the rights of the Cherokee people. It becomes clear that the Cherokees are going to be moving, it was just how they will be moved that made all the difference. The book talks about the Americans thirst for land and how the gold rush in Georgia would eventually force the Cherokees out.

In 1832, the Indians signed a treaty which stated that the federal government would provide them with suitable western land and would protect them until they moved. But, with the onslaught of white settlers, the War Department backed down on it’s promise (pbs.org). Also in 1833, a small faction of the Cherokee were tricked to sign an illegal removal treaty, also known as the “Treaty of New Echota.” Led by Chief John Ross, over 15,000 Cherokees signed a petition in protest of this new treaty, but the Supreme court ignores their demands and instead ratified the treaty in 1836 (pbs.org). In all, the Indians shouldn’t have been forced to move since the Americans had cheated them in treaties and trades many times

Most Americans have at least some vague understanding of the Trail of Tears, but not many know about the events that led to that tragic removal of thousands of Indians from their homeland. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government. The Indians had to agree to removal to maintain their tribe identities. Trail of Tears is an excellent example of a particular situation and will be eye opening to those who are not familiar with the story of the southern tribes and their interactions with the rapidly growing American population. The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that indicates the callousness, insensitivity, and cruelty of American government toward American Indians in 1839 and 1839.

Cherokee rights were also decreasing. They were no longer allowed to have businesses; they couldn't testify against the white in court, and they were prohibited to mind for the gold. Majjor Ridge and his family had decided that enough was enough and that they should just retreat from the area. John Ross on the other hand had decided that the Indians should continue to fight for the land because they were there first. Tragically for the Indians, the 1835 Treaty of Echota was illegitimately signed and approved saying that all of the Indians were to move to the west side of the Mississippi River in exchange for five

Most of us have learnt about the Trail of Tears as an event in American history, but not many of us have ever explored why the removal of the Indians to the West was more than an issue of mere land ownership. Here, the meaning and importance of land to the original Cherokee Nation of the Southeastern United States is investigated. American land was seen as a way for white settlers to profit, but the Cherokee held the land within their hearts. Their removal meant much more to them than just the loss of a material world. Historical events, documentations by the Cherokee, and maps showing the loss of Cherokee land work together to give a true Cherokee