Kristen Rajczak Nelson - The Trail of Tears: A Journey of Loss

Published in 2018 by

Lucent Press, an Imprint of Greenhaven Publishing, LLC

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Copyright 2018 Greenhaven Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Designer: Deanna Paternostro

Editor: Siyavush Saidian

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Nelson, Kristen Rajczak.

Title: The Trail of Tears: a journey of loss / Kristen Rajczak Nelson.

Description: New York : Lucent Press, 2018. | Series: American history | Includes index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781534561359 (library bound) | ISBN 9781534561366 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Trail of Tears, 1838-1839--Juvenile literature. | Cherokee Indians--History--19th century--Juvenile literature. | Cherokee Indians--Relocation--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC E99.C5 B49 2018 | DDC 975.00497557--dc23

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

Foreword

Setting the Scene: A Timeline

Introduction:

Empty Promises

Chapter One:

Cherokee Life

Chapter Two:

Divided Nation

Chapter Three:

Removal on the Horizon

Chapter Four:

Upon the Trail

Epilogue:

After the Tears

Notes

For More Information

Index

Picture Credits

About the Author

Foreword

T he United States is a relatively young country. It has existed as its own nation for more than 200 years, but compared to nations such as China that have existed since ancient times, it is still in its infancy. However, the United States has grown and accomplished much since its birth in 1776. What started as a loose confederation of former British colonies has grown into a major world power whose influence is felt around the globe.

How did the United States manage to develop into a global superpower in such a short time? The answer lies in a close study of its unique history. The story of America is unlike any otherfilled with colorful characters, a variety of exciting settings, and events too incredible to be anything other than true.

Too often, the experience of history is lost among the basic facts: names, dates, places, laws, treaties, and battles. These fill countless textbooks, but they are rarely compelling on their own. Far more interesting are the stories that surround those basic facts. It is in discovering those stories that students are able to see history as a subject filled with lifeand a subject that says as much about the present as it does about the past.

The titles in this series allow readers to immerse themselves in the action at pivotal historical moments. They also encourage readers to discuss complex issues in American historymany of which still affect Americans today. These include racism, states rights, civil liberties, and many other topics that are in the news today but have their roots in the earliest days of America. As such, readers are encouraged to think critically about history and current events.

Each title is filled with excellent tools for research and analysis. Fully cited quotations from historical figures, letters, speeches, and documents provide students with firsthand accounts of major events. Primary sources bring authority to the text, as well. Sidebars highlight these quotes and primary sources, as well as interesting figures and events. Annotated bibliographies allow students to locate and evaluate sources for further information on the subject.

A deep understanding of Americas past is necessary to understand its present and its future. Sometimes you have to look back to see how to best move forward, and thats certainly true when writing the next chapter in the American story.

Setting the Scene: A Timeline

Introduction

EMPTY PROMISES

B y 1838, the Cherokee people had already been fighting for their homelands in the eastern United States for many years. Some left after giving in to the pressure of the white settlers taking their land. Others had tried to make treaties with the U.S. government to stay where their ancestors had settled hundreds of years earlier. These treaties commonly said the Cherokee people would give up some of their land in order to keep the rest. However, not all the Cherokee agreed to make these treaties with the United States, making the Cherokee a divided people as well as one under siege.

The treaties proved to be empty promises anyway. The Cherokee people were forced from their homes and sent to government camps where they awaited their departure to new land that had been set aside for them in present-day Oklahoma. The summer of 1838 was the final straw for U.S. government officials who had been trying to make the Cherokee and other Native American groups move west of the Mississippi for almost a decade. This final removal of the Cherokee and the various routes they took westward have collectively become known as the Trail of Tears.

Making and Breaking Promises

By the 1820s, an increasing number of white settlers were living illegally on land owned by the Cherokee Nationa trend made worse after gold was discovered on Cherokee land in 1828. State governments ignored the Cherokees petition for help to remove the illegal settlers. In fact, most states responded by putting additional pressure on the Cherokee to leave. Their fate was all but sealed when Congress passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. This act, pushed through Congress by President Andrew Jackson, set aside land in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) for Native Americans in exchange for their land in the East. The law required all Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi River within a few years of its passage.

Still, the Cherokee refused to believe the U.S. government would ignore its promises and treaties. They pointed to past agreements that had been signed in good faith. Cherokee delegations went to Washington, D.C., to plead their case before Congress. They met with U.S. presidents and cabinet members to request exemption from the Indian Removal Act. They pleaded their case in the Supreme Court. For years, the Cherokee believed that justice would prevail.

A Deadly Journey

The Cherokees faith in the U.S. government proved unfounded. In 1838, the U.S. Army was ordered to evacuate all Cherokee from their homes and lead them westward to their new land in Indian Territory. They were forced from their homes and moved into hastily constructed forts. Crowded together in unsanitary conditions, the Cherokee became susceptible to diseases that swept through the forts. Hundreds died before they even started their westward journey.