The Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears

“The Trail of Tears” was a despicable event in American history because of our

government’s inhumane treatment of the Cherokee Nation.

To the Cherokee Nation, the journey west, called by them “The Trail Where We Cried,”

was a bitter pill forced upon them by a state and federal government that cared little for

their culture or society, and even less about justice. To the white settlers, it meant

expanding horizons, hope, dreams of riches, and a new life. It was indeed a horrible and

tragic event of both our Georgia history and our American heritage that forced the

Cherokee west along this route now known as "The Trail of Tears."

Governmental action made “The Trail of Tears” despicable because of greed and

partiality. In 1829, the white settlers in Georgia began an almost religious crusade to

remove the Cherokee Indians from their land. The Georgia government refused to

recognize the Cherokee government that had been started by John Ross and John Ridge:

John Ross represented the vast majority of the Cherokee Nation and had their

complete support. He wanted to deed a portion of the land to the United States

for an amount of money to be determined by Congress with the rest of the land

deeded to the Cherokee owners. The deal was that the United States and the

Georgia government recognize Cherokee citizenship, including the right to vote

and hold political office. However, neither the United States nor Georgia would

agree to this. (Golden 1)

The greed of the government and white settlers for gold and wealth sparked the

beginning of the betrayal of the Cherokee Nation. To compensate the Cherokee for their

loss without retaining some land and living a normal life amo...

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...and the elk and the wolf;only their names remain” (Bealer 84).

Works Cited

Bealer, Alex W. Only The Names Remain. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company, 1972.

Cherokee Removal Forts - The Trail of Tears, 1994

http://www.ngeorgia.com/history/cherokeeforts.html.

Golden, Randy. The Trail of Tears, 2001

http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/indians/cherokee/trail_of_tears.html

Jones, Abe “Del.” “The Neverending Trail.”

Norton, Katzman, Escott, Churacoff, Paterson, Tuttle and Brophy. A People and a Nation. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999.

Robins, Catherine. Personal Interview. 23 April 2003.

Sanchez, Karen. The Trail of Tears, 2000

http://www.suite101.com/print_article.efm/5766/32732

Sultzman, Lee. Cherokee History: Part Two, 1996.

Trail of Tears: As Long as the Grass Shall Grow. Video. Discovery Communication, 1995.