Cherokees Tragic Trail:
Native American Tribes were compelled to leave their inherited lands in the 1830s as a result of the Indian Removal Act, which was a crucial aspect of American history. The Cherokees, who suffered one of the most disastrous trips, comprised one of the countless tribes that were forced to relocate their ancestral lands. The Indian Removal Act was created by the United States in the 1830s with the intention of relocating Native American tribes residing in the southern portion of the country, to territories west of the Mississippi River
Cherokee
. The American settlers were driven to do this because they wanted to take over the Native American-inhabited areas since they were rich in gold. Many accounts claim that over 15,000 of Native American Tribe members died on their journey as a result of this harsh movement. Andrew Jackson, who was president at this time, supported this raid and started negotiating treaties with the Cherokees to persuade them to willingly relocate, as the Indian Removal Act had permitted. It is crucial to remember that the act also permitted the use of forceful removal in the event that the tribes resisted voluntary relocation. Unfortunately, this was the case for the Cherokees.[1]
Jackson made an effort to communicate with the Cherokee with a letter that urged them as a nation to give up the fight for their territory before the Cherokees were forcibly transported. Jackson emphasizes his desire for the Cherokee people to embrace the guidance he claims to be giving them as a friend and asserts that transferring the Cherokee people to lands west
Map of Indian Removal Routes
of the Mississippi River will make their lives easier.[2] Unfortunately for President Jackson, the Cherokees strongly resisted his suggestion of relocation and fought against it despite his “friendly” advice and this ultimately led to their forceful relocation. Magliocca describes this relocation as an “unavoidable tragedy”[3]. This tragedy is known as the Trail of Tears. The U.S. Army broke into the homes of the Cherokee people despite their resistance to leave and forcibly removed them. According to Harrington’s description of the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee trekked around 900 miles to what is now Oklahoma, and many of them perished while traveling because of the appalling conditions they had to endure. They were hungry and subjected to many diseases, and harsh weather to get a small taste of what they endured[4].
Andrew Jackson
The release of these records enables people now to see that the Cherokee were subjected to brutal treatment and that, although they did not agree with Andrew Jackson’s letter, the authorities felt free to act however they pleased. Despite Jackson “giving the Cherokees a choice,” they knew they were going to remove the Cherokees regardless, hence why the phrase “unavoidable tragedy” applies to this circumstance. Given that the Cherokees were Jackson’s allies during the Creek War, it is also unexpected how Jackson handled them. Brookhiser points this up.[5] This demonstrates Jackson’s self-centeredness and self-serving behavior even more.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[1] “Trail of Tears.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 20 June 2023, www.britannica.com/event/Trail-of-Tears.
[2] Jackson, Andrew, “To the Cherokee tribe of Indians east of the Mississippi River,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/485ede64f61268ebc5febe30be9900a6.
[3] Magliocca, Gerard N. “The Cherokee Removal and the Fourteenth Amendment.” Duke Law Journal, vol. 53, no. 3, 2003, pp. 875–965. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1373221.
[4] Herrington, Lisa M. “Remembering the Trail of Tears.” Scholastic News — Edition 4, vol. 84, no. 7, Nov. 2021, pp. 4–5. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=prh&AN=154271505&site=eds-live.
[5] BROOKHISER, RICHARD. “Andrew Jackson, for Better or Worse.” National Review, vol. 67, no. 17, Sept. 2015, pp. 22–23. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=pwh&AN=109238434&site=eds-live.