The events of the Trail of Tears are some of the most tragic in the history of the country, but also the least talked about. While Native American relocation took roughly two years, the events that led to the removal of the Native Americans from their land can be traced back decades. From Andrew Jackson’s treaty after the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, to the establishment of a new Cherokee capital in Oklahoma, the story of Indian relocation is a sad one but is still an ultimately American one.
The Tallapoosa River winds quietly through eastern Alabama, giving no indication of the violence that it bared witness to nearly two centuries ago. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend in many ways solidified the tumultuous relationship between Indians and settlers. …show more content…
Possessed by "gold fever" and a thirst for expansion, many settlers turned on their Cherokee neighbors. The U.S. government ultimately decided it was time for the Cherokees to be "removed", leaving behind their farms, their land and their homes. In 1830, Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act, which granted Jackson the funds and authority to remove the Indians, by force if necessary, and promised the Indians a “safe” passage …show more content…
This blockhouse, built in each corner of the standard removal fort featured gun ports drilled every two feet or so. Some Cherokee reported to the forts, not knowing the fate that awaited them, simply because John Ross had told them this is what they should do. Others stayed with their homes and were working in the fields when the soldiers came. The Georgia Guard had identified Cherokee homes. The residents would then be forced to leave. The amount of time given residents to collect belongings varied greatly. There are numerous instances where settlers attempted to intervene when the Guard was being particularly rough on a
The Tallapoosa River winds quietly through eastern Alabama, giving no indication of the violence that it bared witness to nearly two centuries ago. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend in many ways solidified the tumultuous relationship between Indians and settlers. …show more content…
Possessed by "gold fever" and a thirst for expansion, many settlers turned on their Cherokee neighbors. The U.S. government ultimately decided it was time for the Cherokees to be "removed", leaving behind their farms, their land and their homes. In 1830, Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act, which granted Jackson the funds and authority to remove the Indians, by force if necessary, and promised the Indians a “safe” passage …show more content…
This blockhouse, built in each corner of the standard removal fort featured gun ports drilled every two feet or so. Some Cherokee reported to the forts, not knowing the fate that awaited them, simply because John Ross had told them this is what they should do. Others stayed with their homes and were working in the fields when the soldiers came. The Georgia Guard had identified Cherokee homes. The residents would then be forced to leave. The amount of time given residents to collect belongings varied greatly. There are numerous instances where settlers attempted to intervene when the Guard was being particularly rough on a