Shed a Tear

Americans subjected the Cherokee to harsh treatment and force migration during the Jacksonian era known as the Trail of Tears. The controversy and debate surrounding Cherokee removal reached national level and is often cited for President Andrew Jackson’s hate for Native Americans. The Cherokee Removal: A Brief History with Documents edited by Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green provides a collection of documents dealing the controversial issue of forced migration of the Native Americans…

Andrew Jackson was one of the most powerful presidents in the nineteenth century and often viewed as being the future of the American democracy. As a president, he was not a friend of the Native American population to say the least. This was no surprise considering the numerous campaigns he had led against many of the Indian tribes along the Southern borders as a major general. In his rise to presidency, inequality was very much present, especially among the Native American people. Jacksons view…

The interwoven nature of Native American relationships with the White men created a perplexing dynamic, with an unyielding spirit both within the invaded and the invaders, throughout the entirety of the two’s interaction. Like most history, this story could be told through multiple lens, whether it be trade relationships or military motives, however Stuart Banner chooses to drive this narrative with attention to the means of which Indians and white Americans exchange land. In his rendering of…

Battle over land ownership and the movement of the Native American’s off of their land is part of the American story. As whites moved across America, the Indians were moved to less desirable land. In the two essays that I wrote for this class, Kaw People and Absentee Landowners the interesting connection between both essays is that not only were the Indians moved off the land but settlers and their descendants who wanted the land were priced out of the land in Chase County. Both essays are…

While analyzing historical texts, one should always proceed with caution, and read tentatively; specifically, due to misinterpretations, false translations, and basic human error, verbal speeches delivered in previous centuries tend to succumb to inaccuracies, which leads to false transcripts of the actual work. Despite this, one can still appreciate the words of Chief Seattle, the Native American chieftain of the Suquamish tribe, in his speech Address, which was presented to the European…

Stretching over 440 miles, the Natchez Trace has been traveled by many. The original Natchez Trace was a roadway that connected frontier settlements in Tennessee, Kentucky and the Ohio Valley with the lower Mississippi River. Sections of the original road, however, followed ancient Native American trails that had been in use for thousands of years before European explorers arrived in North America. It once was an essential trade route for farmers, Indians, and boatmen. The Natchez Trace…

Jaime Jo US History 2 Ms. Bruno Native American Experience Chickasaw Tribe The Chickasaw tribes are said to be descended from a story of brothers, Chisca and Chacta. These people were known as “Flat Heads” because of their custom of the flattening of skulls of children in which they would put weight on their heads. Chickasaw lived around the northeastern area of Mississippi of the Tombigbee River. But as more settlers moved to North America, they were forced to move to Oklahoma. Also…

In my opinion, the Trail of Tears (the Indian Removal Act) was an entirely unethical decision implemented by the government of the United States. It is insane to think the United States would do such a thing especially with a patriotic history. The Trail of Tears (1838–1839) was an eight hundred mile journey from the southern Appalachians to Indian Territory. Over 17,000 Cherokee had been evicted and 4,000, possibly more, died along the way. This was not only from harsh weather condition,…

Life in the 19th century was hard for the Indians to adjust to. The Westerners decided to claim as much as they could. So how could the Indians adjust to such living conditions that had just been pushed onto their land? In recent years the Americans only remembered the Indians when we celebrate “Thanksgiving” and of course the myths and legends of Pocahontas. Sure that was part of the Indian culture only affecting the influence it had on America. There are many things can contribute to this.…

Introduction There seems to be no small amount of literature on how Native Americans are represented in our popular culture. Over the past several decades, Native Americans have been mythologized in films, TV, and other forms of popular media. And, “For the most part, the white man’s visual expressions of Native peoples have been dominant” (Boehme, et al. 1998:75). It is these depictions that have created a false impression of American Indians. As anyone could guess, the conquest of…