The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears
During the spring semester of 2016, I was given the opportunity to read a very insightful book called, The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears, by Theda Purdue and Micheal D. Green. The book covers the events leading up to, during, and directly after the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears was the mass migration of Native Americans from their motherland in the eastern shores of the United States, to the territories of the southwestern United States. Throughout the early 19th Century, there were many conflicts between the government and Native Americans; although none were more racially and economically motivated than that of the state of Georgia and it’s citizens.
“We believe the present plan …show more content…
George Michael. Troup, Governor of Georgia, said in 1824:”The utmost of rights and privileges which public opinion would concede to Indians would fix them in a middle station, between the negros and white man” (45). By denying Native Americans their rights to “civilization”, Governor Troup removed any pretense of benefit for Native Americans through the “civilization” policy. As a result the Cherokee Natives refused to sell or give even a foot more of their land to people like the governor of …show more content…
In order to further aggress the land seizures against the Cherokee, June 1st 1830, the Georgian government extended its lawful jurisdiction into Cherokee owned territory (58). This held Natives to Georgian law without the right of due process in court. Up until the election of Andrew Jackson, the state of Georgia and the Cherokee had a tug-of-war like battle over land rights. After Jackson’s election win, the federal government would begin to slowly take the side of the Georgians.
The state of Georgia and their constant and stubborn clashes with the Cherokee were fed by greed and morally wrong. The ethnic cleansing of the United States of America against an established society is one of the most dishonoring yet least talked about parts of our history. The Cherokee Nation did not stand a chance at keeping their lands, nor avoid their removal to the west. It is not known whether if the Georgians hoped for the eventual extinction of the Cherokee, but no one knew that the Cherokee would not only survive, but flourish in the
During the spring semester of 2016, I was given the opportunity to read a very insightful book called, The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears, by Theda Purdue and Micheal D. Green. The book covers the events leading up to, during, and directly after the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears was the mass migration of Native Americans from their motherland in the eastern shores of the United States, to the territories of the southwestern United States. Throughout the early 19th Century, there were many conflicts between the government and Native Americans; although none were more racially and economically motivated than that of the state of Georgia and it’s citizens.
“We believe the present plan …show more content…
George Michael. Troup, Governor of Georgia, said in 1824:”The utmost of rights and privileges which public opinion would concede to Indians would fix them in a middle station, between the negros and white man” (45). By denying Native Americans their rights to “civilization”, Governor Troup removed any pretense of benefit for Native Americans through the “civilization” policy. As a result the Cherokee Natives refused to sell or give even a foot more of their land to people like the governor of …show more content…
In order to further aggress the land seizures against the Cherokee, June 1st 1830, the Georgian government extended its lawful jurisdiction into Cherokee owned territory (58). This held Natives to Georgian law without the right of due process in court. Up until the election of Andrew Jackson, the state of Georgia and the Cherokee had a tug-of-war like battle over land rights. After Jackson’s election win, the federal government would begin to slowly take the side of the Georgians.
The state of Georgia and their constant and stubborn clashes with the Cherokee were fed by greed and morally wrong. The ethnic cleansing of the United States of America against an established society is one of the most dishonoring yet least talked about parts of our history. The Cherokee Nation did not stand a chance at keeping their lands, nor avoid their removal to the west. It is not known whether if the Georgians hoped for the eventual extinction of the Cherokee, but no one knew that the Cherokee would not only survive, but flourish in the