My audience and message
I would like to present my research on the long-term effects of the Cherokee people after being forced to migrate to an audience who only focused on the reasoning of why they were forced to migrate. My audience would include those who were affected by the migration and think that nobody pays attention to the aftermath. My message will be one, to clarify the actions that took place and the cause and effect of the actions. I would like my message to shed some light on all the horrific things that happened during the migration which has affected things since.
Introduction
The historical event that will be discussed in the research is Trail of Tears and this refers to the journey after eviction and forcing of the Cherokees to relocate to West of Mississippi River which was chosen as Indian Territory. The phrase “Trail of Tears” means an agonizing journey that the Cherokees went through as they left Eastern Mississippi. The circumstances around the whole journey are considered tragic in the history of humanity. Through the Indian removal act of 1830, the Native Americans who inhabited the Eastern territories were forced to relocate to the western part (Indian removal act of 1830 2017). Although the act had been greatly opposed got a congressional passage by some people for instance a congressman by the name Davy Crocket from Tennessee, President Andrew Jackson got a congressional passage way for the Indian Removal act. The reader therefore needs to know the rationale behind the forceful eviction and the consequences that followed. The paper will therefore discuss the Trail of Tears which occurred as a result of discrimination, callousness, and presidential power, rather than a necessity, as some historians have argued.
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Causes, Courses and consequences
The Trail of Tears is a historical event that took place because the American government wanted to evict the Cherokees who occupied a land in the Eastern parts of Mississippi. The land was not only fertile but also contained huge amounts of gold. In the early history the Cherokees lived in the Southeastern parts and when the European settlers arrived they traded and intermarried with them. They became rich and prosperous as the lands were productive. It is for this reason that the president ordered the Cherokees to be moved so that the whites could benefit from the productivity of the Eastern region. When the Cherokees refused to be moved, force was applied through coercing treaties and even using the US army to achieve the objective (Indian removal act of 1830 2017). Several people were treated brutally during the process. Some were chained and drugged during the process. It is estimated that over 4000 people died in the event a reason that motivated the journey to be called Trail of Tears. Initially, the Cherokees never thought they would be evicted despite the warnings being given to them. However, in 1838 the federal army rounded them up and they were forced out of the Eastern region. The causes that predicted the event was the refusal of the Cherokees to move. Additionally, the US government felt threatened by the huge amounts of wealth the natives were making.
In order to understand the historical event of Trail of Tears it is necessary to look at its course by exploring the events that took place before and after the eviction process. To begin with, the Cherokees were believed to be proud and most civilized people of the Native American group (Ehle 1989). Research indicates that for several years they regarded themselves as the “principle people” (Ehle 1989). Ehle explains that by the eighteenth century the Cherokee leaders established an idea of mingling and adapting the European way of life so that they could survive. The chiefs sold out their tribes by signing the treaties of withdrawing from their lands.
The land that was relinquished was in the Eastern part of Mississippi and the deal was inreturn for greater lands and huge amounts of wealth (Ehle 1989). It is through the treaties of relinquishment that the US government forcefully evicted the Cherokees. The process was extremely brutal that some left their homes crying throughout the whole journey while others died. The legacy and the pride of the Cherokee people were trashed because of the greed of the then president and his advisors (Ehle 1989). The significant participants in the Trail of Tears were the chiefs who were leaders of the Cherokees, the US president Andrew Jackson who gave the orders, the senate and House of Representatives, the US military and Cherokees themselves. The participants differed in opinions because they all had diverse motives. The US government wanted to acquire the productive lands and the only way was to coerce the people into signing treaties. When they refused they used forced to cooperate force was used (Ehle 1989). The American government they felt they were entitled to the lands. On the other hand the Chief signed the treaties of relinquishment thinking that the situation would be better only to get worse.
The immediate and long-term consequences were disastrous especially to the Cherokee people. Firstly, one of the short term impacts was lose on one side and gain on the other. The Cherokees lost their voices on any matters that concerned them as they had relinquished their lands through treaties (Casebeer 2014) . The pride they held for several years had been killed. They lost the lands that gave them wealth and prosperity. Similarly, during the eviction process a lot of property was destroyed and others looted by the whites who were present during the removal of the Cherokees from their homes. People also suffered from several diseases such as cholera while others died of starvation and cold (Casebeer 2014) . The trail of tears led to the death of several Cherokees a result of the excessive force and brutality used by the state militias and federal army during the eviction process. The lasting effects of the Trail of Tears were that people’s lives changed forever because some lost their families. Animosity and lack of trust between the US government and European settlers on one hand and the Cherokees on the other was developed. There were also high rates of racial discrimination which culminated to slavery. The Trail of Tears negatively impacted the American society because its image was tainted as a nation with no sense of humanity. The US government was viewed as being inhumane by the affected because it used brutality on the people who were part of its population. It was regarded as the government of power and oppression. The state was regarded as a genocide nation Casebeer states “for the subaltern population the removal was part of the American genocide”.
Conclusion
It is important to note that the historical event is significant to me because I am an advocate of the minority groups. It helps me to learn what the minority groups have gone through in the past and what can be done to avoid such events from recurring. The research has enlightened me about the event because I never thought it was extremely brutal that several people lost their lives. I thought the Indian removal act was a mere eviction with no negative consequences but after the research I learned of both shorter and long term consequences. As a historian I thought the treaties were peaceful but they were not and instead they were coercive and with ill motive. If a historian was to continue researching my thesis I would want them to look into the life of the Cherokee people after the removal.
References
Casebeer, K. M. (2014). Subaltern Voices In The Trail Of Tears: Cognition And Resistance Of The Cherokee Nation To Removal In Building American Empire. U. Miami Race & Soc. Just. L. Rev. , 4 , 1.
Ehle, J. (1989). Trail of Tears : The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation (Vol. Anchor Books ed). New York: Anchor. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=738817&site=eds-live&scope=site
Indian Removal Act of 1830. (2017). Indian Removal Act of 1830, 1. Retrieved from https://searchebscohostcom.ezproxy.snhu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=21212278&siteeds-live&scope=site
Riley, N. S. (2016). The new trail of tears : How Washington Is Destroying American Indians . Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu
