‘What Really Happened?”THE TRAIL OF TEARS
From the Indian Removal Act, it created a forced removal of five Indian tribes throughout the American Southeast
The phrase originated from a description of the removal of the Choctaw Nation in 1831
Tribes that were relocated: Choctaw, Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, and Chickasaw Nations
TRAIL OF TEARS: THE BEGINNING
In 1831 the Choctaw were the first to be removed, and they became the model for all other removals. After the Choctaw, the
Seminole were removed in 1832, the Creek in 1834, then the Chickasaw in 1837, and
finally the Cherokee in 1838.
REMOVAL
Pressures to remove the Indians were magnified by U.S. population growth and the expansion of slavery in the South
REMOVAL
VIDEO!!!
Dead of winter Ice cold winds Snow If one of your family members died, a soldier would shoot
you dead Most had no shoes and little food Took months to walk at times
TRAIL CONDITIONS
As the realization that the Seminoles would resist relocation sank in, Florida began preparing for war
Sugar plantations along the Atlantic coast south of St. Augustine were destroyed, with many of the slaves on the plantations joining the Seminoles
With nearly a decade of resistance, this became known as the Seminole Wars- After relocation, hundreds stayed behind in the Everglades
SEMINOLE RESISTANCE
The Trail Of TearsBy: Aditi Rao
My heart breaks,Everytime I see.Our tribal people,Suffering dearly.For their souls are blank,Their hearts are torn.Their minds are still,And their fears shown.
The sun disappears,The moons they pass.I see the days,Like shattered glass.Yet silently I continue on,No words escape my speechless lips.I gently shush the children's words,With softly curled fingertips.
POEM
How long, how far?These questions come.They wait to be answered,By the Chosen One.Yet some of me,Can't wait and cry.So I let go of life,With a mourning sigh.
The last forced relocation of the Cherokee has been referred to as a
"death march," across the Midwest in 1838, which occurred on a
predominantly land route. It was later described as an act of genocide in
2003.
OVERVIEW
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