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Running head: Cherokee Removal - The Trail OF Trials

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Cherokee Removal - The Trail OF Trials

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CHEROKEE REMOVAL - THE TRAIL OF TRIALS

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April 10, 2020

Millions of American's and their generations were initially occupied on acres of land in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and North Carolina during the 1830s. But at the end of this decade number of Native Americans left and very few numbers of inhabitants remain in the southeastern part of the United States. These Americans were forced by the federal government to leave their homelands in order to grow cotton on behalf of the white settlers. They were asked to live on a specially designed place that is miles away towards the river of Mississippi known as the Indian Territory (Targ 1995). This deadly and challenging journey is known as the Trail of Tears. White Americans living at the western frontier were resented and feared by the Native American's. White settlers wanted to occupy the land unfamiliar by Indian Americans. Thus American officials like George Washington put their suggestions to solve the Indian problem that was the civilization of Native Americans. The purpose of civilization is to turn Native Americans into white Americans by encouraging them to turn towards Christianity as their religion, by adopting European economic style, and by motivating them to learn English as their language. Thus the number of southeastern United States people, including Seminole, Choctaw, and Cherokee's accept their traditions and customers, and later, they were known as "Five Civilized Tribes." (Targ 1995)

An Army General Andrew Jackson plays his role as an advocate to the "Indian Removal." He played an extraordinary role against brutal campaigns and creeks in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida that leads to the exchange of lands from Indians to Native white farmers. The Indian Removal Act has been signed by the general Andrew Jackson in the 1830s that empowered the federal government to take land held by Native to transfer it to the west land of the "Indian colonization zone" acquired by the United States. This law empowers the federal government to withheld or remove land but in a peaceful, fair, and voluntary. But despite the law enforcement, Jackson ignored it and forced Native Americans to live places they had been there for years. And in 1831, the American army successfully expelled out people of Choctaw. People of Choctaw made their journey to India on feet; they had no food or transport to support their journey. During this journey, thousands of people lost their lives because of not having food and any other services. This is the reason the president of Choctaw in Alabama press-paper states that event as a "trail of tears and death." (Hausman 2011)

Researches state that there were 15,000 people expelled out from Choctaw, and 3500 died during this journey. Deaths of these slaves or people of Choctaw were because of poor leadership and conflict between the interests of leaders at that time. People of Cherokee have been divided into groups; some were ready to leave their lands while some thought it is not right to leave the land in exchange for money. Till 1838, only 2000 Cherokees left their homeland, and then the force came into action once again (Perdue 1941-2013). Winfield Scott, along with president Martin Van Buren and 7000 troops,, reached to proceed with the process of removal. General Scott, along with troops, attack Cherokee's to force them to leave their homes, and white American's looted their homes without having permission. They forced Cherokees to leave their lands on the spot towards the Indian Territory. While the journey towards Indian Territory Cherokees suffered from cholera, Typhus, dysentery, cough, starvation, and numerous other epidemics that took lives of almost 5000 Cherokees (Perdue 1941-2013).

Till 1840, more than 10,000 Native American's were expelled out of their lands and forced to move towards the Indian Territory (Sturgis 2006). After expelling Native Americans, federal government supports the settlement of white communities at the westward. The trail of tears was 5043 miles long, and there are nine states that come under it. The Trail of Tears is still there occupied by National Parks Services and is divided into smaller parts. The trail of tears is not just about the removal of Cherokee's for occupying the land, but it was another example of slavery and oppression that was happened to Native American's by white Americans. The removal of Cherokee's was not carried out in a balanced way, but coercive forces have been used to imply decision over them. There were numerous influential personalities behind this removal and to support President Andrew's vision of his nation. Trail of tears has not happened in a decent and managed way, but it was happened by violating laws of the state and US political system. The policy carried out by leaders at that time were inhuman and illegal. The trail of tears not only brings suffering, deaths, division of their geographical state but also they had to be a slave and oppressed under the majority of whites. The trail of tears brings dramatic political and cultural challenges for Cherokees (Sturgis 2006).

I have selected this topic to talk about because of the story of the trail of tears. Another reason that I wanted to talk about the Cherokee's removal and the trail of tears because it is an essential event of United States history. This topic worth discussion so we can avoid our nation from such events to happen in the future. Cherokee's removal and trail of tears is such a heartwarming story. Everyone sympathizes with them because of their loss. Andrew Jackson uses poor, inhuman, and weak strategies to occupy the ancestral land of Cherokee's. The removal of Cherokee's and the trail of tears is also a lesson for future leaders. It helps them to understand the importance of effective leadership to save people from such a crisis that had been occurred during the removal of Cherokee's. Policies and laws of the United States were violated during this time by political figures. These events and sufferings of Cherokee's that I have analyzed were enormous. Consequences of the trail of trial and sufferings that it brings were raised to talk about this topic.

References Hausman, Blake M. 2011. "Riding the Trail of Trials." ABC OCLIO LIBRARY 1-24. Perdue, Theda, & Green Michael D. 1941-2013. "The Cherokee Removal: A Brief History with Documents." ABC OCLIO 43-99. Sturgis, Amy H. 2006. "The Trail of Tears and Indian Removal." ABC OCLIO LIBRARY Chapter:2 55-79. Targ, Brill Marlene. 1995. "The trail of tears : the Cherokee journey from home." ABC OCLIO 43-78.