What was the point of the Trail of Tears?
In 1838 and 1839, as part of Andrew Jackson’s Indian removal policy, the Cherokee nation was forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee people called this journey the “Trail of Tears,” because of its devastating effects.
Who opposed the Trail of Tears?
Chief John Ross
How did Andrew Jackson justify the Trail of Tears?
He declared that the only hope for the Southeastern tribes’ survival would be for them to give up all their land and move west of the Mississippi River. Jackson warned the tribes that if they failed to move, they would lose their independence and fall under state laws. Jackson backed an Indian removal bill in Congress.
What does the trail of tears tell us about the relationship between the United States and Native Americans?
The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that signifies the callousness of American policy makers toward American Indians. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government, and Indians had to agree to removal to preserve their identity as tribes.
How did the Indian Removal Act Impact America?
While this law enabled the United States to expand their territory and allow U.S. citizens to move further West, this movement of forced relocation angered many Indian tribes who would sometimes resist American forces. This document seemed to influence most Americans to allow the government to relocate these natives.
Why was the Indian Removal Act good?
and believed the removal policy was beneficial to the Indians. Most white Americans thought that the United States would never extend beyond the Mississippi. Removal would save Indian people from the depredations of whites, and would resettle them in an area where they could govern themselves in peace.
How many Seminoles died on the Trail of Tears?
| Trail of Tears | |
|---|---|
| Attack type | Forced displacement |
| Deaths | Cherokee (4,000) Creek Seminole (3,000 in Second Seminole War – 1835–1842) Chickasaw (3,500) Choctaw (2,500–6,000) Ponca (200) |
| Victims | Five Civilized Tribes of Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Ponca and Ho-Chunk/Winnebago nations |
How did Indians died on the Trail of Tears?
They were not allowed time to gather their belongings, and as they left, whites looted their homes. Then began the march known as the Trail of Tears, in which 4,000 Cherokee people died of cold, hunger, and disease on their way to the western lands.
How many Indians were killed?
In the ensuing email exchange, Thornton indicated that his own rough estimate is that about 12 million Indigenous people died in what is today the coterminous United States between 1492 and 1900. 60 This number of deaths is almost 2.5 times the estimated decline in the Indigenous population during this time.