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The Trail of Tears Also known as the “Trail Where They Cried”. Trail of Tears.
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The Trail of TearsAlso known as the “Trail Where They Cried”
Imagine that the United States government came to your home and forced you to move to another state, with only a few possessions, and start all over again. How would you feel, and what are the things that you would miss the most? This is what happened to thousands of Native Americans during the Jacksonian era.
America before 1830 Map of the Five Civilized Tribes • These Five Civilized Tribes occupied the areas of the United States that were becoming overcrowded. These tribes were forced off their land by the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Cherokee culture… • Before contact, Cherokee culture had developed and thrived for almost 1,000 years in the southeastern United States--the lower Appalachian states of Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, and parts of Kentucky and Alabama.
America before 1830 • The Cherokee people, one of the five civilized tribes, called the land we call Georgia home for hundreds of years. But many white settlers wanted that land for themselves, especially because it was rumored that there was gold found on their land. The Native Americans argued that their culture would be destroyed if they left their land. They also argued that they were adapting to American society.
Sequoyah • Sequoyah was an example of how Cherokee’s were adapting to America. He was a Cherokee warrior who developed the Cherokee alphabet and started the first Cherokee newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix. He ended up leaving his homeland and traveling to Oklahoma with his people.
Andrew Jackson ignored the Cherokee’s request to stay on their land with the Indian Removal Act of 1830. • Andrew Jackson was the President of the United States. He signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 and pushed the Cherokees off their land into Oklahoma, or Indian Territory. The road these Native Americans traveled along was called the Trail of Tears.
Indian Removal Act • In 1830 the Congress of the United States passed the "Indian Removal Act." Although many Americans were against the act, most notably Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett, it passed anyway.
Court ruling… • In 1832, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokee on the issue in Worcester v. Georgia. In this case Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Cherokee Nation was sovereign, making the removal laws invalid. The Cherokee would have to agree to removal in a treaty. The treaty then would have to be ratified by the Senate. • Andrew Jackson states, “John Marshall has made his decision. Let him enforce it now if he can.”
Removing the Cherokees… • The Treaty of New Echota, signed by Ridge and members of the Treaty Party in 1835, gave Jackson the legal document he needed to remove the First Americans.
Marching to Oklahoma…. • In one of the saddest episodes of our brief history, men, women, and children were taken from their land, herded into makeshift forts with minimal facilities and food, then forced to march a thousand miles.
The Trail Where They Cried • The route they traversed and the journey itself became known as "The Trail of Tears" or, as a direct translation from Cherokee, "The Trail Where They Cried" ("Nunna daul Tsuny").
The Trail of Tears killed ¼ of the Cherokee people. This means 4,000 Cherokees died. • How does this picture make you feel? • What do you think this painting represents?
The Cherokees traveling across the Trail of Tears • Are these people happy or sad about traveling to Oklahoma?
Who is John Ross? • John Ross was principal chief of the Eastern Cherokees and later the combined Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory. He served from 1828 until his death in 1866. Ross was 1/8 Cherokee by blood. He was forced to lead his people across the Trail of Tears into Oklahoma.
Who is Major Ridge? • Major Ridge, or Kah-nung-da-tla-geh, "the man who walks the mountain top", was know as "The Ridge" and later Major Ridge, for his participation in the Creek War 1813-1814. He was the leader of the Ridge or Treaty Party. His brother, Oo-wa-tie, "the ancient one", was the father of Stand Watie. He served as head of the Lighthorse Guard (i.e., Cherokee police), member of the National Committee, and speaker of the National Council. He was assassinated in 1839 for signing the Treaty of New Echota for removal of the Cherokees to the West.
Legend of the Cherokee Rose • No better symbol exists of the pain and suffering of the Trail Where They Cried than the Cherokee Rose. The mothers of the Cherokee grieved so much that the chiefs prayed for a sign to lift the mother's spirits and give them strength to care for their children. From that day forward, a beautiful new flower, a rose, grew wherever a mother's tear fell to the ground. The rose is white, for the mother's tears. It has a gold center, for the gold taken from the Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem that represent the seven Cherokee clans that made the journey. To this day, the Cherokee Rose prospers along the route of the "Trail of Tears". The Cherokee Rose is now the official flower of the State of Georgia.
Conclusion • Many Native Americans died as a result of the white American’s greed. Andrew Jackson forced these people off their land into Indian Territory with the Indian Removal Act of 1830. ¼ of the Native Americans that traveled across the Trail of Tears, the road on which they traveled, died.
Review • What was the name of the Act that removed the Indians from their land? • Indian Removal Act • What President signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830? • Andrew Jackson • What state was called Indian Territory? • Oklahoma • What was the road the Cherokees traveled on called? • The Trail of Tears