The trail of tears is one of the saddest and darkest chapters in American history. The trail of tears was part of the Indian removal act. Thousands of Indians against their will were forced to leave their homes and travel westward. Very few escaped this removal. There were five great Indian tribes that were affected by the Indian removal act. The Cherokee being the most notable and famous of the five great nations, and the only tribe to take their case to the Supreme Court. The removal of the Cherokee nation is what is known as the trail of tears. Thesis statement.
The Indian removal act called for the removal of all Indians in the eastern part of the U.S to be moved westward beyond the Mississippi river to present day Oklahoma. …show more content…
These five great nations were civilized Indian nations and was adopting a lot of the white’s way of lives while still maintaining their own culture. These nations where the Cherokee, the Seminole, the Choctaw, the Creek, and the Chickasaw. When these five nations or tribes learned about the Indian removal act they were infuriated. They had already done many things in the past to become more civilized or more like the whites in order to stay in their homes and keep their lands. But obviously the whites or the government still wasn’t satisfied and they wanted more. Things that lead up to the Indian removal act being passed was the greed of white settlers who kept moving onto Indian lands. They believed the Indians were in their way and pressured the federal government for Indian land. All five tribes showed resistance, but the Cherokee tried doing it the peaceful way. Their leader John Ross took their case to the Supreme Court. Chief John Marshall appealed to the Cherokee in March of 1832 and said “The law of the Georgians can have no force”. But this was ignored and whites continued to move into Indian Territory. It is reported that U.S president Andrew Jackson responded by saying “Well John Marshall his decision. Now let him enforce it!” Andrew Jackson did nothing to help the Indians or make things better for them. He believed the best thing for them was to move them