It is estimated that more than 5,000 Cherokee died because of this journey.Native Americans were treated unequally because whites idea of superiority and being the better race. The government promised that their Indian Territory would remain forever, but yet again the whites also took that from them. The depth of the river and the danger of the shallow shoals would not allow them to travel further with that many people weighing the boat down.The Cherokee unloaded and boarded railroad cars until the water route became deep enough for travel again.
The whites had this thought of superiority over Natives. In the United States, five tribes adapted these customs and became known as the "Five civilized Tribes".Whites wanted to make profit off of cotton and despite the Natives being civilized, they would do anything to get the land. 1830 - Andrew Jackson passes Indian Removal Act 1831 - Choctaw Indians are first nation removed from their lands entirely 1831 - Cherokee Nation v. State of Georgia 1835 - Members of the Cherokee Indians and American Government sign the Treaty of New Echota 1838: Cherokee die on Trail of Tears The U.S. Department of War forcibly removes approximately 17,000 Cherokee to Indian Territory (which is now known as Oklahoma). The Cherokee nation attempted to negotiate a new treaty, but to the government it was already set in stone.

The natives were forced to become like whites, from cutting their hair to changing religion. A timeline created with Timetoast's interactive timeline maker.

Chief Ross petitioned, but the Supreme Court ignored his petition, and the Treaty of New Echota was ratified by the U.S. government in 1836. The remaining 18,000 Cherokee had two years to move west.When 1838 arrived, only 2,000 of the remaining Cherokee had moved west. Timeline. In 1907, Oklahoma became a state, resulting in Indian Territory being destroyed. President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act forcing tribes to be relocated from their homeland, causing thousands of Cherokees to die and obtaining the term "Trail of Tears". They were provided small rations by the U.S. government, but not enough to survive.

Death became a daily occurrence among those traveling by land. They mainly worshipped the sun and prayed for great harvests. When white Europeans began showing up in the 16th century, the Cherokee were a thriving tribe of people with a very large population. The button below has the link to my timeline. Roads were in terrible condition, drought had choked back most of the edible forage, and disease began hitting a weakened population of Cherokees. The total number of deaths on the Trail of Tears is estimated to be 3,000-4,000; nearly one out of every four travelers did not make it.After completing this lesson, you should be able to:Did you know… We have over 200 college They were shipped upriver into Northern Alabama to a point where they were forced to unload. Members of the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations (including thousands of their black slaves ) were forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States to areas to the west of the Mississippi River that had been designated as Indian Territory. Around 125,000 Native Americans lived on million of acres in Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia around the 1830s.Whites feared Native Americans so they attempted to civilize them. The phrase “Trail of Tears” originated from a description of the removal of the Choctaw Nation in 1831.Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness. All rights reserved.Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree,What Was the Trail of Tears? You can test out of the Louisianan purchase 1803. But the phrase is also applied to the forced removals of the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee Creek, and Seminole, who were all removed from the Southeast. The Indian Removal Act gave the government the power to exchange Natives land in the cotton kingdom for land to the west. Most crossed the Mississippi River near present-day Memphis, Tennessee. John G. Burnett's Account. Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you.Get the unbiased info you need to find the right school.© copyright 2003-2020 Study.com.