The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced removal and relocation of Native American tribes from their ancestral homelands during the 1830s. The Trail of Tears was a result of President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act, which mandated that all Native Americans living east of the Mississippi River be moved to designated lands west of the river in what is now Oklahoma. This brutal process resulted in great suffering for many indigenous peoples as they were forcibly uprooted from their homes and made to travel hundreds or thousands of miles on foot, often with little food and supplies and without any guarantee that they would even reach their destination alive. The displacement began with five southeastern tribes”the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek (Muscogee), and Seminoles”who had been living peacefully in these regions since well before European settlers arrived. These tribes did not want to leave their land but faced extreme pressure from President Jackson to do so; he felt it was necessary for white settlement and economic development in the region. As a result, more than 100,000 Native Americans were relocated over 1,200 miles between 1831-1838 under this initiative known as Indian Removal or The Trail of Tears due to its devastating consequences for those involved. As part of this process each tribe was assigned its own particular route across what became known as The Trail – some traveled by boat while others walked hundreds or even thousands of miles on foot through swamps, dense forests and rugged terrain with no access to shelter or medical care along the way resulting in widespread sicknesses such as dysentery , typhus , cholera , smallpox among other diseases . Many died due to cold temperatures at night when they stopped making camp; lack adequate clothing; food shortages; exhaustion ; poor sanitation conditions ; among other factors . Those who survived endured physical trauma , emotional distress , lost community ties due to separation during relocations & deaths along The Trail . In total an estimated 4 thousand people died out 20 thousand Natives who participated in this journey which makes us realize how much pain & suffering Indigenous People experienced throughout history till present day . Nowadays there are still various initiatives being taken around world recognize & acknowledge atrocities committed against them like United Nations Declaration Rights Indigenous Peoples adopted 2007 which has helped raise awareness about issue . Learning about true story behind Trail Tears can help promote understanding respect between different cultures today .

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328 words 2 pages

Indian Removal Act, (May 28, 1830), first major legislative departure from the U.S. policy of officially respecting the legal and political rights of theĀ American Indians. The act authorized the president to grantĀ IndianĀ tribes unsettled western prairie land in exchange for their desirable territories within state borders (especially in the Southeast), from which the tribes would be […]

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The Indian Problem Essay Example
1144 words 5 pages

At the beginning of the 1830s, nearly 125,000 Native Americans lived on millions of acres of land in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Florida-land their ancestors had occupied and cultivated for generations. By the end of the decade, very few natives remained anywhere in the southeastern United States. Working on behalf of white settlers […]

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