Persuasive Essay On The Trail Of Tears

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In history classes, students are briefly taught about the Trail of Tears and many never think of it again. This historic event is an attempt at the eradication of a race of people just like the Holocaust but history is written by the victors therefore the awful treatment of the Native Americans is summed up with two words, "Manifest Destiny." An incredible amount of Indian history was lost along the Trail of Tears where over 5,000 Cherokees died or went missing, almost nothing was kept on record and almost everything was word of mouth (History.com). The rare books and manuscripts that do remain are safely preserved in museums and special libraries like the ones here at the University of Georgia where everyone is granted access to the material …show more content…

Two centuries ago almost all of that land was taken from natives for the lucrative recourses it contained. The same resources that are depleted today because there are 318.9 million people living in the continental US and the United States government is still trying to make up for the dreadful past (US Census). No amount of minority scholarships could make up for the murders of our ancestors and the loss of our culture and no amount of historical preservation could bring back the wise words from the mouths of the great Chiefs and Medicine Men who perished along The Trail of Tears. Humanity selfishly chose to let a race of people disappear from the face of the Earth. The book Cherokee Hymns should be preserved in museums and colleges across America as a significant reminder that absolutely nothing is worth the death of people or the loss of an entire culture.
Bibliography
Boudinot, Elias. "An address to the whites delivered in the First Presbyterian Church on the 26th of May, 1826." 26 May 1826. Galileo. Web. Apr 3, 2016.
History.com Staff. "The Trail of Tears." History 2009. Web. April 5, 2016
Perdue, Theda, and Michael Green. The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears. New York: Penguin Books, 2007. Print.
Staff Reports. "Cherokee Phoenix Celebrates 184 Years." Cherokee Phoenix 21 Feb 12. Web. Apr 2, 2016.
U.S. Department of Commerce. "US Population" Census April 2016. Web. April 5, 2016.
Writer Hall of Fame Staff. "Hall of Fame Honorees Elias Boudinot" Georgia Writers Hall of Fame. University of Georgia. Web. Mar 31,

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