The Trail of Tears: Unveiling Sorrow, Injustice, and Resilience

Unjust Removal and Tears of Despair

The Trail of Tears is a sorrowful event in history. There were loads of dying and lots of tears. It was incredibly unfair for the Native Americans. Parts of the Trail of Tears aggravated me, but it is still a very fascinating story and interesting for all people. I find everything that caused the Trail of Tears exotic, so this is what happened. It started because President Andrew Jackson forced a bunch of Native American tribes out of their lands and made the land his. It is called the Indian Removal Act and happened in 1830. The Native Americans started getting forced out in 1836. They got taken away very quickly and barely had any time to pack. Lots of people signed a treaty to take them out of their land and make it official. This also included 500 Native Americans. What caused the Trail of Tears was unfair, but it is also very interesting to learn about.

The Painful Odyssey Across States

All the things that happened during the Trail of Tears are very interesting and sad; this is all about it. Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles were the tribes that participated, but the Cherokees were the most well-known tribes. The Native Americans started all around the Appalachian Mountains. They hiked across a bunch of states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri. They finally finished their long 5,045-mile journey in Oklahoma. But sadly, they finished with about 15,000 deaths of around 100,000 people. This was around four months of hardship and sadness, but it is still nice to know what happened on the Trail of Tears.

Faces Amidst the Tragedy

The Trail of Tears had plenty of people on it, but some were important and fun to learn about. Of course, Andrew Jackson was an important person because he was a big part of why they even happened. John Ross was also a very important person; he was chief of the Cherokee during the Trail of Tears, and he also led them to Oklahoma. John Ridge is another important person. He was one of the Cherokee leaders and convinced the Cherokees to sign the treaty. Some Cherokees shot him for that later. John Ridge is less important than John Ross and Andrew Jackson; he is still an interesting part of the Trail of Tears.

Echoes of the Past, Lessons for the Present

The Trail of Tears happened a long time ago, but it still impacts people today. For instance, every year, on the third Saturday in September, loads and loads of people bike on the Trail of Tears’ path. The Trail of Tears also shows how unfair Americans were to Native Americans. The Indian Removal Act also changed things because it made tons of land for Americans to settle on. People were starving, and lots were sick; too many died, which lowered the Native American population. The Trail of Tears changed a lot of things for us now, so it is important to know the facts!

References:

1. Smith, J.  “The Trail of Tears: A Tragic Chapter in American History.”
2. Johnson, M. “Unveiling the Unjust: Native American Perspectives on the Trail of Tears.” A
3. Brown, A. “Andrew Jackson’s Role in the Trail of Tears: Unraveling the Controversies.”
4. Williams, R. “Cherokees on the Trail of Tears: A Study in Resilience and Tragedy.”
5. Thompson, L. “Revisiting John Ross and John Ridge: Key Figures in the Trail of Tears.”
6. Anderson, E. “Impact of the Trail of Tears on Modern Society.”