Following a Trail of Tears Essay - 2929 Words

Following a Trail of Tears For yet another third period, I walked through the faded pink door into the fluorescent-lit room. I walked along the back wall, past the poster of the â€Å"Pledge of Allegiance† spelled out with license plates. I sat down in my seat. This would be my first of two periods in a row with Mrs. Sorenson, the quirky history/English teacher who would bring out her fiddle and sing songs based on the unit of U.S. history we were working on. This day, Mrs. Sorenson wasn’t singing any songs. There weren’t many songs she knew about the Trail of Tears. She reminded us about how the American Indians had owned the land before the Europeans came and how the new settlers wanted to keep the natural resources found in the†¦show more content†¦Each detachment took a minimum of four months to complete the over 1,000 mile trip. Only the sick and elderly were allowed to sit on the wagons, and by the end of the trip, all the wagons were full. The research reveals the d eaths of many Cherokees mostly because of disease and terrible conditions. The bodies were left on the side of the trail, which was unheard of in Cherokee tradition. Women, children and even men cried about the loss of their land, families, and friends, hence the name, the Trail of Tears. I started the research fairly open to all information I found out, although I did start with sympathy towards the Cherokee. The Cherokee had become fully assimilated under advisement of Thomas Jefferson; they had a written language and written laws, and they changed the family to being patriarchal as opposed to matriarchal. I started my research looking for personal narratives about the actual removal to Oklahoma. Unfortunately, I could only find short quotes on websites from anonymous Cherokees. So I began with books written specifically about the Cherokee removal. After my frustration about the lack of personal narratives, William L. Anderson’s book, Cherokee Removal: Before and After was refreshing. The University of Georgia Press in Athens, Georgia was smart in 1991 to publish this collage of personal narratives, descriptions,Show MoreRelatedThe Trail Of Tears By James Collins1452 Words   |  6 PagesJames Collins Donald West History 201 December 1, 2015 TRAIL OF TEARS The trail of tears is also referred to as the period of Indian s removal. It was a period where Native Americans in the U.S were forcefully relocated following the removal of Indian Removal Act of 1830. Those who were forcibly moved were from Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, and Chickasaw and Choctaw nations in the southern U.S, an area initially referred to as the Indian Territory. Migration from Cherokee nation had begun in theRead MoreTrail of Tears1191 Words   |  5 PagesTitle of the Lesson: Trail of Tears Content Area(s): Social Studies, Literature, Technology Unit of Study: Trail of Tears/US History Grade Level: 4-6 Time Frame: Comprehensive Unit/Lesson scheduled to take 3 weeks including reading of novel and a few different projects NCSS Themes: 1. Culture, 2. Time, Continuity and Change 3. People, Places Environment 4. Individual Development and Identity 5. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions 6. Power, authority, and governance Standards: Read MoreMost People Can Not Imagine Having To Walk 1000 Miles Across1211 Words   |  5 Pagesflames. Unfortunately, during the Trail of Tears and the Holocaust, these awful imaginings were reality. Because the Nazis did not want eyewitnesses, most prisoners were regularly gassed, and less than 20 of the several thousand survived. Some prisoners buried their testimony in jars before their deaths, allowing the world to hear their story. This desire to â€Å"hide† the unthinkable did not just happen with the Holocaust, however; it also happened in the Trail of Tears, when all evidence of Native AmericanRead MoreThe Trail Of Tears By Amy Sturgis1286 Words   |  6 PagesThe Trail of Tears was a huge turning point seen by Amy Sturgis, as clearly shown in her chapter, â€Å"The Trail of Tears as a Turning Point†. Sturgis have separated how the Trail of Tears has affected history into three categories: the world, the US, and for the Cherokee Nation. All three ca tegories intermingle, affecting one another with either a positive or a negative feedback. The United States perspective on the Native people has drastically changed from President to President. â€Å"George WashingtonRead MoreStarvation, Illness and Death of the Native Americans in Trail of Tears1352 Words   |  6 Pagesinjustices of American history included, starvation, illness, and death. These hardships were undeservingly forced upon an innocent group of people – the Native Americans. One may think that the Trail of Tears was only a simple journey the Indians made to discover new frontiers. This is not the case. The Trail of Tears was the result of the white man’s selfishness, causing Indians to lose their homes and belongings. The act was full of unfair treatment, cruelty, and heartlessness. This tragic event tookRead MoreNative Americas And The West Of The Mississippi River1438 Words   |  6 Pagesin this region . While following the interests of the white settlers, who wanted to cultivate cotton on Indian Lands, president Jackson and the federal government forced the natives to vacate their homeland and have thousands miles walk to a designated â€Å"Indian territory† which was at the west of the Mississippi river. The journey and the route that they travelled was hindered with many adverse and sometime deadly challenges and it came to be referred to as the trail of tears from the Cherokee phraseRead MoreHistory: The Indian Removal Act Essay1108 Words   |  5 Pagesthey first arrived, the white Americans hadn’t been too fond of the Native Americans. They were thought to be highly uncivilized and they had to go. In his letter to Congress addressing the removal of the Indian tribes, President Jackson states the following: â€Å"It will separate the Indians from immediate contact with settlements of whites; free them from the power of the States; enable them to pursue happiness in their own way and under their own rude institutions; will retard the progress of decayRead MoreAn American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears801 Words   |  3 PagesBook Review An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears The book An American Betrayal: Cherokee Patriots and the Trail of Tears finds its basis in the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The dispute between the two groups took place with President Jackson leading the Americans and John Ross leading the Cherokee Indians. The author tries to give an account of the events following the Indian Removal Act of 1830 through the eyes of the Cherokees. The Red Indians felt betrayed by theRead MoreAnalysis Of Andrew Jackson s The War Against The Bank Of United States 918 Words   |  4 Pageswith the Bank’s charter expiring. His victory and the efforts he took to get this victory is why the economic nationalists would have supported the portrayal of Jackson as king. Explain the significance of the image in connection with two of the following: Jackson’s leadership skills Jackson’s political actions and their constitutionality Jackson’s foreign policies Because of the Bank War, nullification crisis, and his treatment of Native Americans, Jackson was known for his personal feuds and somewhatRead MoreCherokee Population Losses During Trail Of Tears : A New Perspective857 Words   |  4 PagesThornton, Russell â€Å"Cherokee Population Losses During Trail of Tears: A New Perspective and a New Estimate.† Ethnohistory, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Autumn, 1984): 289-300 Currently, when the losses suffered by the Cherokee Nation as a result of their forced removal are discussed, there is a focus on the loss in numbers. However, Russell Thornton’s â€Å"Cherokee Population Losses During Trail of Tears: A New Perspective and a New Estimate† clearly presents a new, suitably researched perspective that argues the