The Cherokee Trail of Tears

The Cherokee Trail of Tears:

The Cherokee Trail of Tears By Lucinda Mason

Major figures of the Trail of Tears:

Major figures of the Trail of Tears John Ross Who was principle Chief of the Cherokee Nation 1828-1866 Born Turkeytown , AL October 3, 1790 Died Washington DC August 1, 1866 Fought to keep Cherokee Lands through Supreme Court (About North, 2010)

Major Figures Cont:

Principle signer of the Treaty of New Echota Born around 1771 Died June 22, 1839 by ambush Thought the Cherokee should give into President Jackson (Chieftains Museum, 2010) Major Figures Cont

Causes of the trail of Tears:

“In 1823 the Supreme Court handed down a decision which stated that Indians could occupy lands within the United States, but could not hold title to those lands. This was because their "right of occupancy" was subordinate to the United States' "right of discovery .“ In response to the great threat this posed, the Creeks, Cherokee, and Chicasaw instituted policies of restricting land sales to the government. They wanted to protect what remained of their land before it was too late .” (Indian Removal, 1998) Causes of the trail of Tears

Causes of the Trail of tears:

Causes of the Trail of tears The following slide is a three part video that addresses further causes of the Trail of Tears.

Causes of the Trail of Tears:

Causes of the Trail of Tears

Factions involved in the Trail of Tears:

Ridge Faction Major Ridge Elias Boudinot Stand Watie All signed the Treaty of New Echota and all but Stand Watie were executed for doing so. (Stand, n.d ) Factions involved in the Trail of Tears

Factions involved in the Trail of Tears:

Factions involved in the Trail of Tears Ross Faction John Ross Principal Chief of the Cherokee from 1828-1866 at his death Refused to sign Cherokee lands over to the US Government. (Ross, 2010)

Legal Victories for the Cherokee:

Legal Victories for the Cherokee “Chief John Ross hired former attorney general William Wirt to represent the Cherokee in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831) and then in Worcester v. Georgia (1832). In each case the U.S. Supreme Court recognized the sovereignty of the Cherokee tribe. The latter determined that Georgia could not make laws for the Cherokee people. The Supreme Court's rulings, however, could not prevent forced removal. Georgia and the United States ignored the ruling and refused to recognize Cherokee sovereignty .” (Indian Removal, 2011)

The Trail of Tears:

The Trail of Tears “Nearly two thousand Cherokees moved west in accordance to the agreement, but most of the nation remained. They still hoped that their constitutional victories and the illegalities of the treaty might be recognized. In 1838 the United States sent armed soldiers to enforce the law. The federal troops confined the Cherokees in disease-ridden camps for several months before forcing them to proceed west. Death and hardship was common, and nearly one in four Cherokees died. “ Indian Removal, 2011)

Toll of the trail of tears:

Toll of the trail of tears Of the approximately 17,000 Cherokee who set out on the Trail of Tears one in four died. (Trail of Tears, 2010)

Map of the Trail of tears:

Map of the Trail of tears

The Cherokee Now:

The Cherokee Now Below are the websites that belong to the two bands of the Cherokee Nation today. Eastern Band of the Cherokee http :// www.cherokee-nc.com/index.php Western Band of the Cherokee http://www.cherokee.org /

How do you feel about the Trail of Tears?:

How do you feel about the Trail of Tears?

References:

References Cherokee Nation. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.cherokee.org / Cherokee, North Carolina. (2010). Retrieved from http:// www.cherokee-nc.com/index.php Frank, A.K. ( n.d. ). Indian Removal. Retreived from http:// digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/I/IN015.html Franks, K.A. ( n.d. ) Watie , Stand. Retrieved from http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/W/WA040.html Indian Removal.(1998). Retrieved from http:// www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2959.html John Ross. (2011). Retrieved from http:// ngeorgia.com/ang/John_Ross Trail of Tears. (2010). Retrieved from http:// www.cherokee-nc.com/index.php?page=62