Trail of Tears

Cherokee culture…Before contact, Cherokee culture had developed and thrived for almost 1,000 years in the southeastern United States--the lower Appalachian states of Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and parts of Kentucky and Alabama.

Background information

Since first contact with European explorers in the 1500s, the Cherokee Nation had been recognized as one of the most progressive among American Indian tribes.What does the term progressive mean?

Cherokee life until 1710…

Life of the traditional Cherokee remained unchanged as late as 1710, which is marked as the beginning of Cherokee trade with the whites.

Frontier contact…

The period of frontier contact from 1540-1786, was marked by white expansion and the cession of Cherokee lands to the colonies in exchange for trade goods

Cherokee interaction…After contact, the Cherokees acquired many traits of their white neighbors

Some even intermarried.

Soon they had shaped a government and a society that matched the most "civilized" of the time. What is meant by civilized?

Sequoyah

Cherokee culture continued to flourish with the invention of the Cherokee alphabet by Sequoyah in 1821.

Cherokee migration…Migration from the original Cherokee Nation began in the early 1800s as Cherokees wary of white encroachment moved west

A government decision…The white communities turned on their Native American neighbors The U.S. Government decided it was time for the Cherokees to leave behind their farms, their land and their homesWhat was the reason for this sudden change of heart?

Indian Removal ActIn 1830 the Congress of the United States passed the "Indian Removal Act." Although many Americans were against the act, most notably Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett, it passed anyway.

The bill became lawPresident Jackson quickly signed the bill into law. The Cherokees attempted to fight removal legally (the white man’s way) by challenging the removal laws in the Supreme Court by establishing an independent Cherokee Nation. They followed the laws set by the white man

Court ruling…In 1832, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokee

Worcester v. Georgia

In this case, Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Cherokee Nation was sovereign, making the removal laws invalid. The Cherokee would have to agree to removal in a treaty. The treaty then would have to be ratified by the Senate.

Chief Justice John Marshall

Reaction to the Court’s Decision

“Chief Justice John Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it.”

Andrew Jackson

What is wrong with this statement?

A divided nation…By 1835 the Cherokee were divided and leaderlessMost supported Principal Chief John Ross, who fought the encroachment of whites

The will of a minorityHowever, a minority (less than 500 out of 17,000 Cherokee in North Georgia) followed Major Ridge, his son John, and Elias Boudinot, who advocated removal.

Removing the Cherokees…

The Treaty of New Echota, signed by Ridge and members of the Treaty Party in 1835, gave Jackson the legal document he needed to remove the First Americans. Jackson was able to make this legal!!!

Ratification of the treaty…Ratification of the treaty by the United States Senate sealed the fate of the Cherokee. Among the few who spoke out against the ratification were Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, but it passed by a single vote.

The removal of the Native Americans began…

In 1838 the United States began the removal of Native Americans

to Oklahoma, fulfilling a promise the government made to the minors and settlers in Georgia

Why did the whites want this land?

General Wool protested the move….

General John Wool was ordered to move on the CherokeeHe did not agree with this orderHe resigned his command in protest, delaying the action. People knew what was happening was wrong.. Yet..

General John Wool

The invasion of the Cherokee nation….

Some men wanted to advance their careersHis replacement, General Winfield Scott, arrived at New Echota on May 17, 1838 with 7000 men. Early that summer General Scott and the United States Army began the invasion of the Cherokee Nation.

General Winfield Scott

Marching to Oklahoma….In one of the saddest episodes of our brief history, men, women, and children were taken from their land, placed in makeshift forts with very little supplies and food, then forced to march a thousand miles, US troops moved 18,000 Cherokee at gunpoint 800 miles from 1838-183925% of Cherokee died - most elderly and children

Loss of lifeUnder army commanders (who did not care about the Cherokee people), human losses for the first groups of Cherokee removed were extremely high. Any loss of life by forcibly removing them from their land is wrong!!!

Reorganization of Cherokees into smaller groups

John Ross made an urgent appeal to Scott, requesting that the general let his people lead the tribe west. General Scott agreed. Ross organized the Cherokee into smaller groups and let them move separately through the wilderness so they could forage for food.

John Ross

Arriving in OklahomaThe parties under Ross’ control left in early fall, and arrived in Oklahoma during the brutal winter of 1838-39 He significantly reduced the loss of life among his people.

About 4,000 Cherokee died as a result of the removal.

The Trail Where They Cried

The route they traveled and the journey itself became known as "The Trail of Tears" or, as a direct translation from Cherokee, "The Trail Where They Cried" ("Nunna daul Tsuny").

Map of the Trail of Tears

April 1839Cherokees built houses, cleared land, planted crops and began to rebuild their nation.Let’s look at the land they were given:

Oklahoma!!

Is this land suitable for farming?Thanks America, for giving the Cherokee this wonderful opportunity!!

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Those who were able to hide in the mountains of North Carolina or who agreed to exchange Cherokee citizenship for U.S. citizenship, later became the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of Cherokee, N.C. The descendants of the survivors of the Trail of Tears comprise today's Cherokee Nation with membership of more than 165,000.

Lasting EffectBecause of the tragedy that Andrew Jackson caused these people, some refuse to hold a $20 bill

They take two tens insteadSome called for his status as President to have an asterisk next to it, indicating he should have been impeached

These are White Lands Now

Trail of Tears AssignmentWrite a three entry diary about your experiences on the Trail of Tears and how your life was/will be affected by the move from Georgia to Oklahoma.

Each entry must be at least 5 paragraphs long

Entry One - Before you leave (court case)Entry Two - On the Trail (struggles during the trip)Entry Three - When you arrive in “Indian” Territory (how life has changed)Details earn points - Create a cover, show emotion, fear, pain; use colorful adjectives and adverbsDue: