Essay, Research Paper: Trail Of Tears

The total population of Georgia rose at a rapid pace between 1790 and 1830. The Cherokee had lived in Georgia for a very long period of time. They adapted to many of the American customs. They developed an alphabet, and even created a newspaper. The women wore long gowns that were made in Europe. They built roads, schools, and churches. The Cherokees also had a representational government and were farmers and cattle ranchers like many other Southerners.
Due to the idea of Manifest Destiny, the whole Trail of Tears evolved form this. Manifest Destiny was an idea popular in the mid-1800s; that concept encompassed the idea that the United States had the right and duty to conquer and settle the entire continent of North America. Andrew Jackson, President at this time, endorsed Manifest Destiny, and consequently believed that he had the right to move the Cherokee and other groups of Native Americans west.
By 1830, the Congress also thought that the Cherokees should be moved west like the rest of the Indian tribes. Later in 1830, the Congress passed the "Indian Removal Act." President Jackson quickly signed the bill into law. The Cherokees fought the removal act, but the Supreme Court kept ruling against them. It was not until 1832 that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokees. The Court ruled the Cherokee nation sovereign; the Cherokees would have to agree to removal in a treaty, followed by ratification by the Senate. The Cherokee were divided politically in 1835. Most supported John Ross, who fought the encroachment of whites starting with the 1832 land lottery. However, 500 of the 17,000 Cherokees in North Georgia followed Major Ridge, his son John, and Elias Boudinot who advocated removal. Jackson soon received the information he needed to remove the Cherokees in the Treaty of New Echota, signed by Ridge and his followers. The Trail of Tears began.
On the trip, the Indians had to cross several rivers such as the Tennessee. Before the last group reached the Mississippi, a severe winter had occurred. Crossing the river was made difficult with all of the floating ice. Because of these many hardships, large numbers Cherokee died, and immune systems were weakened, and disease spread.
According to a first hand account, the Trail of Tears was horrible. A person wrote: "Oh! The misery and wretchedness that presents itself to our view in going among these people." Many people died on the trail; most perished by diseases. That same person wrote: "Sir, I have witnessed entire families prostrated with sickness…." The Trail of Tears crossed over land as well as through water. The land route went through Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas; it ended in Oklahoma. The water route went north to Illinois, south on the Mississippi River, and west on the Arkansas River to Oklahoma.
The Trail of Tears involved two goals. For the white settlers the goal was to mine the gold on the former Cherokee land, acquire more land for themselves, and start the western expansion. Their goal was achieved. For the Cherokee Indians, the goal was to endure the Trail of Tears march. Some reached this goal; many did not. Over 4000 Cherokee died during the march.
The immediate goal of the white settler was to move the Cherokees west of the Mississippi River; the eventual goal was just to locate them as far west as possible to accommodate western expansion. For the Cherokee, the immediate goal of the Cherokee was to attempt to keep their land in Georgia. Failing that, their eventual goal was to survive the trip to Oklahoma and establish a community in their new location.
There are many interesting facts regarding the Trail of Tears. During a drought, 13,000 Cherokees were placed in a stockade, and over 1,500 died. During the harsh winter when many Cherokees were trying to cross the Mississippi, 5,000 Native Americans were unable to cross from the eastern side of the river. On July 12, 1839, the western and eastern Cherokee united to create a nation. They adopted a constitution on September 6, 1839.