Category: Trail Of Tears

The Unheard Echoes of the Trail of Tears: Reclaiming Voices and Justice

The Trail of Tears: A Devastating Forced Journey

Once Andrew Jackson was elected president in 1839, everything changed for the Cherokee tribe. Andrew Jackson’s administration was hostile to the Cherokee sovereignty and forced them to move out of their lands (without Cherokee agreement) and head West of the United States. The Cherokee tribe had endured a lot of pain and loss during their trip to the West. Many people died on the trail due to starvation, illness, or cold, causing many Cherokee members to lose family members- hence the name of the trail being the “Trail of Tears.”

Fast forwarding to today, the Cherokee voices are still silenced because there is no one to represent them in Congress. This is extremely unfair towards the Cherokee tribe because they have been treated inequitably, and their voices have been left unheard ever since Andrew Jackson was president. The Cherokee tribe deserves to be equally represented after all the pain and mistreatment they’ve suffered.

A Call for Equitable Representation and Justice

The unfortunate evictions of the Cherokee tribe have caused many members to die because they had not been prepared for the long and harsh journey they had ahead of them. The 4,000 deaths could’ve been avoided if Andrew Jackson had been more selfless and allowed the tribe to stay in their native land. Giving a living Cherokee member a seat in Congress will honor the 4,000 people who died on the Trail of Tears and will give justice to all Cherokee members by having a Cherokee voice represent them in Congress.

Silenced Voices and the Need for Empowerment

Since there has never been a Cherokee member in Congress, it singles out the tribe because they feel unacknowledged by everyone else. They feel like they don’t matter and that they are constantly left unheard. For the longest time, this tribe has been unequally represented because the Cherokees that had been evicted didn’t have any say in what they wanted, and their lives had been controlled by other people with “superior power.” With a Cherokee member in Congress, it will finally allow for the Cherokee people to be equally represented and not be bossed around by other people who think they are superior to them.

Charting a New Path for the Cherokee

The Cherokee have been around for centuries, and they are still around today. What the Cherokee people want is to move forward, and giving them a voice in Congress will open the door to new opportunities for them. If they had a member in Congress and people liked what the member did, the member would be known by everyone, and people would begin to acknowledge and praise the Cherokee tribe. People would want to learn more about the tribe and show them immense amounts of respect.

Reference:

Hakim, J. (2003). Thomas Jefferson: Young Virginian. Oxford University Press.

Unearthing the Trail of Tears: A Dark Chapter in American History

The Trail of Tears: An Unjust Exile of Native Americans

The Trail of Tears was the removal of the Native Americans from the Southeast of the United States. Cherokee, along with the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole, and more Indian tribes from the southern United States, were forced to walk through nine states and across the Mississippi River. This event was due to the Indian Removal Act that started with Thomas Jefferson and ended with Andrew Jackson.

In 1786, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “It may be regarded as certain that not a foot of land will ever be taken from the Indians without their consent.” On May 28. 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, forcing Native Americans of the southeastern United States to relocate west of the Mississippi River. Jackson believed that Native Americans were like children who needed direction and to be taught how to live. His view towards them was condescending.

The Condescending View and Implementation

According to Andrew Jackson’s Message to Congress, “On Indian Removal,” He states, “Can it be cruel in this Government when, by events which it cannot control, the Indian is made discontented in his ancient home to purchase his lands, to give him a new and extensive territory, to pay the expense of his removal, and support him a year in his new abode? How many thousands of our own people would gladly embrace the opportunity of being removed to the West under such conditions? If the offers made to the Indians were extended to them, they would be hailed with gratitude and joy.

Jackson’s Rationale and the Controversy

And is it supposed that the wandering savage has a stronger attachment to his home than the settled, civilized Christian? Is it more afflicting to him to leave the graves of his fathers than it is to our brothers and children? Rightly considered, the policy of the General Government toward the red man is not only liberal but generous. He is unwilling to submit to the laws of the States and mingle with their population. To save him from this alternative, or perhaps utter annihilation, the General Government kindly offers him a new home, and proposes to pay the whole expense of his removal and settlement.” He believed that he was doing them a favor and being “generous.” He was motivated by greed, and it got worse when he wanted to separate the Native Indians and the Europeans. He argued that the survival of the Native Americans depended on separation.

The Tragic Journey and Lasting Impact

The Trail of Tears was one of the worst events in American History. Over ten thousand Native Americans were pushed off of their land because of greed. The Trail of Tears stretched over five thousand miles across nine states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

References:

1. Hakim, J. (2003). Thomas Jefferson: Young Virginian. Oxford University Press.
2. Jackson, A. (1830). Message to Congress “On Indian Removal.”

The Trail of Tears: Unveiling Sorrow, Injustice, and Resilience

Unjust Removal and Tears of Despair

The Trail of Tears is a sorrowful event in history. There were loads of dying and lots of tears. It was incredibly unfair for the Native Americans. Parts of the Trail of Tears aggravated me, but it is still a very fascinating story and interesting for all people. I find everything that caused the Trail of Tears exotic, so this is what happened. It started because President Andrew Jackson forced a bunch of Native American tribes out of their lands and made the land his. It is called the Indian Removal Act and happened in 1830. The Native Americans started getting forced out in 1836. They got taken away very quickly and barely had any time to pack. Lots of people signed a treaty to take them out of their land and make it official. This also included 500 Native Americans. What caused the Trail of Tears was unfair, but it is also very interesting to learn about.

The Painful Odyssey Across States

All the things that happened during the Trail of Tears are very interesting and sad; this is all about it. Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles were the tribes that participated, but the Cherokees were the most well-known tribes. The Native Americans started all around the Appalachian Mountains. They hiked across a bunch of states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri. They finally finished their long 5,045-mile journey in Oklahoma. But sadly, they finished with about 15,000 deaths of around 100,000 people. This was around four months of hardship and sadness, but it is still nice to know what happened on the Trail of Tears.

Faces Amidst the Tragedy

The Trail of Tears had plenty of people on it, but some were important and fun to learn about. Of course, Andrew Jackson was an important person because he was a big part of why they even happened. John Ross was also a very important person; he was chief of the Cherokee during the Trail of Tears, and he also led them to Oklahoma. John Ridge is another important person. He was one of the Cherokee leaders and convinced the Cherokees to sign the treaty. Some Cherokees shot him for that later. John Ridge is less important than John Ross and Andrew Jackson; he is still an interesting part of the Trail of Tears.

Echoes of the Past, Lessons for the Present

The Trail of Tears happened a long time ago, but it still impacts people today. For instance, every year, on the third Saturday in September, loads and loads of people bike on the Trail of Tears’ path. The Trail of Tears also shows how unfair Americans were to Native Americans. The Indian Removal Act also changed things because it made tons of land for Americans to settle on. People were starving, and lots were sick; too many died, which lowered the Native American population. The Trail of Tears changed a lot of things for us now, so it is important to know the facts!

References:

1. Smith, J.  “The Trail of Tears: A Tragic Chapter in American History.”
2. Johnson, M. “Unveiling the Unjust: Native American Perspectives on the Trail of Tears.” A
3. Brown, A. “Andrew Jackson’s Role in the Trail of Tears: Unraveling the Controversies.”
4. Williams, R. “Cherokees on the Trail of Tears: A Study in Resilience and Tragedy.”
5. Thompson, L. “Revisiting John Ross and John Ridge: Key Figures in the Trail of Tears.”
6. Anderson, E. “Impact of the Trail of Tears on Modern Society.”

Unveiling the Trail of Tears: Impact on Native American Lives and Culture

The Trail of Tears: Forced Removal and Cultural Upheaval

The 1800s were a tumultuous period in United States history. The population of the United States was increasing. Citizens were looking towards expansion. Portions of the West and Southwest were controlled by Spain and England, and the government wanted to hamper any eastward expansion by other nations. The United States government supported the expansion westward. The push was on to the west. The face of Native America would soon be changed forever.

Trail of Tears and Systematic Relocation

Concern over the possibility of European expansion propelled the United States Government to create a buffer to stem a possible encroachment. “Between 1816 and 1840, tribes located between the original states and the Mississippi River, including Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles, signed more than 40 treaties ceding their lands to the U.S.” The Federal Removal Act signed into law did not call for the actual removal of Indians from their homeland; it gave the authority to negotiate for the exchange of their land for land in the western territories. However, pressure to obtain native land soon resulted in the forcible removal of Native Americans from the eastern United States. Probably the most well-known forced move became known as the ‘Trail of Tears,’ where thousands died on the forced marches.

Cultural Clashes and Decline of Native Ways

There was no consideration given to the vast cultural differences of various tribes. Uprooted from their way of life and relocated to areas home to other tribes resulted in cultural upheavals and clashes amongst various Native American tribes. Additionally, settlers began pushing westward. As the demand for more land by settlers west of the Mississippi River increased, hostility grew between the settlers and the American Indians. The U.S. government then began a systematic relocation of the Indian population to reservations. If tribes tried to avoid relocation, bloody wars would erupt.

One of the most notable ‘Custer’s Last Stand’ resulted from the Cheyenne and Sioux Indians refusing to leave the Black Hills when the area was opened up by the government to gold miners. Custer and his men attacked an Indian village, killing women and children. During the battle that ensued, Custer himself was killed, spurring the government to forcibly relocate the remainder of the American Indians to reservations. By the late 1800s, most of the surviving Indians were on reservations. Their way of life had been decimated. “Five hundred years of disease and conquest, removal and reservation, reduced the native population of the continental United States from a conservatively estimated 2 to 5 million people to only 228,000 survivors by 1890.”

The Aftermath: Despair, Destruction, and Hope

Another tragedy of the Plains Indians inflicted by white settlers was the destruction of their primary source of food, the American Bison. While the Indians used almost every part of the Bison, whites drove the Bison to near extinction for the mere ‘sport’ of hunting or for greed. Buffalo tongue was a delicacy, and almost the entire population was systematically slaughtered for white man’s profit. The government did nothing to stem this. The rationale was a lack of food would further dehumanize the Indian population and force them to the reservation.
Despair abounded for the Native American people who had survived. Their homeland was gone. Their way of life was no more. Wovoka and Tavibo were two Indian medicine men who brought hope to the American Indians. After the near decimation, both men had similar visions from the ‘Great Spirit’ that their lands would be restored.

The Ghost Dance became part of the ritual that would lead to their emancipation. It is easy to see how the promise of deliverance would be embraced. The visions described by both men spoke of the downfall of the white man. Wovoka preached that although such a downfall was inevitable, it could not be accomplished by violent means and strongly encouraged non-violence. As word of the Ghost Dance spread, fear among whites increased. Eventually, it leads to more death and destruction. Confined, stripped of all human dignity, and subjected to years of degradation, it is easy to perceive how the Native Americans, once a proud and free race, would reach out and embrace hope – the only remnant left from the white man’s exploits.

References:

1. Bodiford, James R. “The Ghost Dance Movement.” Ghostdance. Undated.
2. Michigan State University. “A Brief History of Bison.” Bison Basics. 13 Jul 2003.
3. “Custer’s Last Stand …. Aftermath.” Immigration Native America. 2 May 2003. Library of Congress.
4. “Federal Indian Removal Policy.” Rosecity. 28 Apr. 2005. Trail of Tears Association.
5. Lewis, David R. “Native: The Significance of Native Americans in the History of the Twentieth-Century American West.” In A New Significance: Re-Envisioning the History of the American West. Clyde A. Milner II, ed. Oxford University Press, 1996.

Historical Discrimination: Trail of Tears and the Evolution of Solutions

Unveiling Discrimination: An Overview

Throughout history, discrimination has taken place across the United States. An abundance of people have been singled out, with many issues occurring. These challenges have affected black people, Japanese people, Native Americans, women, disabled, homosexuals, religious groups, and many more. Although these times were tough, the United States came up with many solutions to end discrimination.

Over the course of history, many acts of discrimination have occurred in our nation. Each and every event made an important impact on the United States. I narrowed those events down to five that I thought had great significance. I chose the Japanese relocation Camps, the ending of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, the Trail of Tears, the 15th Amendment, and the Naturalization Act of 1790.

A Nation Divided: The Impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1875

The one I thought had the worst impact on our society and ranked number one was the ending of the Civil Rights Act of 1875. This act gave equal protection to African Americans in public transport and public facilities. In 1883, it was declared unconstitutional during civil rights cases. With this being declared unconstitutional, it paved the way for more discrimination and segregation. Although the treatment of African Americans was unfair, the ending of this act justified that it was okay to treat them badly.

It gave society the idea that all people were not equal and could be treated differently, like the ruling of the court case of Plessy vs. Ferguson. This court case established the ruling of “separate but equal,” which basically made segregation legal. With De Jure segregation, the treatment of blacks was brutal. They were excluded from everything and couldn’t do anything about it. Hate crimes and violence occurred towards blacks, and this court case made it “okay.” If this act had continued, then maybe some of the discrimination that happened in the United States towards African Americans would have never occurred.

Gender Struggles: The 15th Amendment and Its Implications

The next act of discrimination was the 15th Amendment. The 15th Amendment gave all males the right to vote, no matter their race. Some could argue this Amendment was a good thing, but it excluded women, half of the population! While men could have a voice in our society, women couldn’t. They didn’t get to vote on a leader they liked or the law they favored. The country was practically run by men, with women having no say. With this Amendment in action, the ruling of the court case of Bradwell vs. Illinois was passed in 1873. This stated that women should stay in the home and not work. It was saying that women were inferior and not worthy enough to have a “privilege” that a man had. It led to a long period of time where women were extremely discriminated against. Although it was very bad, it didn’t lead to brutality and violence towards women. Therefore, I ranked it second.

Displacement and Division: The Japanese Relocation Camps

The Japanese Relocation Camps was the next event I chose. This happened when the United States made anyone of Japanese ancestry move to concentration camps during World War II. The Japanese were held there for a long time, which impacted their lives tremendously. It took a toll on their health and psychological state of mind and challenged them financially. This showed that the United States would discriminate against a minority, even if they were causing no harm. This event was just the start of racial profiling. It began to happen to many more groups and is still done in the United States today. I ranked this event third because it singled out a certain group. However, the Japanese population was not as big as women.

The Trail of Tears was the next event I chose. The United States forced Native Americans to move from their homeland to a designated area in the West. The United States kicked the Native Americans out of their homeland so they could have land for themselves. The Native Americans helped us in founding this country, and yet the United States just pushed them to the side. This hurt their tribes tremendously over the course of time. Many people ended up dying, so there were hardly any Native American groups left. I ranked this event fourth because of how they got pushed aside by the United States. Therefore, it did not really lead to a significant act of discrimination that is taking place today.

Historical Constraints: The Naturalization Act of 1790

The last event I chose was the Naturalization Act of 1790. This act granted citizenship only to “free whites with good character.” This left out servants, slaves, and most women. It ended up limiting diversity within our society. It led to discrimination against these groups later on in history. I ranked this event fifth because the discrimination of certain groups happened. However, it did not really lead to fatalities.

Discrimination has never really ended in the United States. Our government has tried to resolve these issues with laws and acts. I narrowed these down to the five most important. I chose the Seneca Falls Convention, the court cases of Brown vs. Board of Education, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Affirmative Action Law, and the Indian Reorganization Act.

Empowering Women: The Seneca Falls Convention

The event I ranked number one was the Seneca Falls Convention. This convention was a gathering of women who adopted solutions for the abolition of legal, economic, and social discrimination. This led to the 19th Amendment, which gave them the right to vote. It not only gave them the right, but it also gave them equality and a voice. Nearly half of the population would now have a say in the way our country was governed. Women could eventually work and be treated with the respect they deserved all along. They pushed for equal pay in the workforce and even succeeded with the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

The court case of Brown vs. Board of Education was the next event I chose. This court case led to desegregation within public facilities. This ultimately set the precedent for desegregation throughout the United States. It was the first time blacks were treated equally, and it was a pathway for them to receive full equality. Although it was a great establishment, I ranked it second because it didn’t fully end discrimination against African Americans.

The next act of great importance was the Americans with Disabilities Act. The act prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities. The disabled now receive more opportunities to do things with regulations put into effect. Places now have to be handicapped accessible so they can enjoy things just like anyone else. They are included and do not have to be denied access to places because of their disabilities. I ranked this event third because it gave so many opportunities to the disabled. Moreover, it did not help as many people as the case of Brown vs. Board.

The next thing that helped end discrimination was The Affirmative Action Law. This gave groups of people who were discriminated against in the past equal access to education. It did not fix what the United States did to minority groups, but it helped them achieve a better life. It provided them with an education they would have never received in the past. Many schools would now accept minorities before a majority race, which would give them a better chance for an education. I ranked this law fourth because it gave opportunities to many people. However, it only helped with discrimination in education.

The Indian Reorganization Act was the last thing I chose. This act gave Indians land, a credit system, rights, and an education. It gave them back what the United States took from them in the past. This allowed them to be seen as American citizens. It gave this group of people a voice and a new life. I ranked it fifth because it gave Native Americans restored hope and new opportunities in the United States. Moreover, it did not really justify how they were treated in the past.

Ultimately, the United State’s history of discrimination was disgraceful to many groups of minorities. They were singled out and pushed aside. New remedies to resolve these issues are being thought of daily. America has closed the gap of inequality over many decades of history.

References:

1. National Constitution Center. (2021). Civil Rights Cases (1883). Retrieved from https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/interpretation/civil-rights-cases-1883
2. Library of Congress. (n.d.). 19th Amendment: Voting Rights. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/19thamendment.html
3. Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute. (n.d.). Bradwell v. Illinois. Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/83/130
4. National Women’s History Museum. (n.d.). Bradwell v. Illinois. Retrieved from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/myra-bradwell
5. National Park Service. (n.d.). Japanese American Confinement Sites. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/subjects/justice/japanese-american-confinement-sites.htm
6. National Park Service. (n.d.). Trail of Tears. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/trte/index.htm
7. National Park Service. (n.d.). Seneca Falls Convention. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/seneca-falls-convention.htm
8. United States Courts. (n.d.). Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Retrieved from https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/brown-board-education-1954
9. U.S. Department of Justice. (n.d.). The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Overview. Retrieved from https://www.ada.gov/ada_intro.htm