Difference between revisions of "Trail of Tears"
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Jackson had expressed the opinion that the relocation was a generous offer to the Indians, and that they would be very much better off with the freedom and autonomy of their new territories. Private John G. Burnett participated in the forced relocation, and wrote about the great suffering that the Cherokees endured. | Jackson had expressed the opinion that the relocation was a generous offer to the Indians, and that they would be very much better off with the freedom and autonomy of their new territories. Private John G. Burnett participated in the forced relocation, and wrote about the great suffering that the Cherokees endured. | ||
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| + | Evangelical Protestants were horrified at the violent removal and crusaded against Jackson and the Democratic party policy of [[Manifest Destiny]], which threatened to destroy most of the remaining Indians. The Protestants supported the opposition [[Whig Party]], which denounced the removals, and called for a more Christian approach to the Indians, emphasizing the need for morality in public policy, and the use of education and civilizing devices (like teaching Indians how to farm instead of hunt) to save the remaining Indians.<ref> Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, ''Religion and Society in Frontier California'' (1994) [http://books.google.com/books?id=SJ4PfXvvKzcC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=%22trail+of+tears%22+evangelical+protestants&source=web&ots=rGf9bR8YFI&sig=47D5fiFZFhla9XvO-NPIZZbNIoI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPA17,M1 online page 17]</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 00:42, December 7, 2008
The Trail of Tears is the common name for the removal of Cherokee Indians from Tennessee and Georgia to Indian Territory (later Oklahoma) in compliance with the Indian Removal Act of 1830 as put into place by President Andrew Jackson. Under that Act, the US government negotiated relocation treaties with various Indian tribes, and some of them moved voluntarily and peaceably. Some Indians also stayed and became American citizens.
Some Cherokee leaders signed a relocation treaty in 1833, and in 1836 the Cherokees were given two years to move voluntarily. In 1838, President Martin Van Buren's administration forced about 17,000 Cherokee Indian to move to Oklahoma. Between 2,000 and 4,000 died on the trip, mostly the elderly and small children due to disease, malnutrition, and fatigue. The Trail of Tears became a national historical site in 1987.[1]
Jackson had expressed the opinion that the relocation was a generous offer to the Indians, and that they would be very much better off with the freedom and autonomy of their new territories. Private John G. Burnett participated in the forced relocation, and wrote about the great suffering that the Cherokees endured.
Evangelical Protestants were horrified at the violent removal and crusaded against Jackson and the Democratic party policy of Manifest Destiny, which threatened to destroy most of the remaining Indians. The Protestants supported the opposition Whig Party, which denounced the removals, and called for a more Christian approach to the Indians, emphasizing the need for morality in public policy, and the use of education and civilizing devices (like teaching Indians how to farm instead of hunt) to save the remaining Indians.[2]
References
- ↑ The exact number is debated. On the official lists, 13,169 left home and 11,504 arrived in Oklahoma. Russell Thornton et al. The Cherokees: A Population History (University of Nebraska Press, 1992).
- ↑ Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, Religion and Society in Frontier California (1994) online page 17