Trail of Tears

In 1829, Andrew Jackson became president and quickly instituted a coercive removal

policy. In 1830 the United States passed the "Indian Removal Act." Many Americans were against

the act, however, it passed anyway. President Jackson (who argues that "no state could achieve

proper culture, civilization and progress, as long as Indians remained within its boundaries") quickly

signed the bill into law. Jackson ordered that Five Civilized Tribes, the Cherokees, Creed,

Choctaws, Chickasaws and Seminoles, must move from the southern states to the Indian Territory,

now known as Oklahoma- a word that means "red people". In a "permanent treaty", it was

solemnly sworn to be the Indian's Promised Land "for as long as grass grows and water flows"-

which meant until the white man wanted more land.

The Cherokees attempted legal resistance to removal. They declared themselves an

independent nation within Georgia, in 1827, only to have the georgia leg...