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Why The Forceful Removal Of Native Americans

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Why The Forceful Removal Of Native Americans
Forceful Removal of Natives The trail of tears was simply wrong. The trail of tears is one of the saddest events in our nation’s history. We forcefully took land that did not belong to us. In addition, we killed thousands in the process. The 5 nations east of the Mississippi were changed forever. We took from them the very rights that we just fought for in the Revolutionary War. We had such double standards thinking that we deserve the rights in our constitution but not the native americans. Why did the Europeans relocate the Native Americans? Well, it’s pretty simple. The Europeans (or new Americans) wanted to get rid of the Native Americans so they could expand and settle new land out west. The Europeans were also afraid of the Native Americans. …show more content…
When the Europeans wanted to take the Cherokee’s land, the Cherokee took the US government to court instead of fighting like many thought they would do. The Cherokee and their court case made it all the way to the supreme court. The Cherokee were fighting for their land and their argument was that the land belonged to them and they were entitled to it. Their case said that the US cannot take their land. The supreme court ruled in favor of the Cherokee. The judges ruled that the Cherokee were lawfully able to live on their land in peace. But, president Andrew Jackson did not like this decision. He ordered the US Army to “lit a fire under them until they agree to move, if they choose not to leave, use force.” He ignored the supreme court and took the Native’s land even though it was technically illegal …show more content…
The “round up” took about 2 months to complete and get everyone to their new reservation (Oklahoma). The original plan was to take the Indians to the nearest port and ship them down rivers to their new territory. Unfortunately, there were bad droughts that year and ships were not able to take them. So, they had to walk. The trail itself is about 2,200 miles (John J. Dwyer). The Native Americans not only had to walk thousands miles, they had to do it under very harsh conditions. The Native Americans were allowed very little food, shelter, rest, and clothes They were not allowed to take anything with them from their home. Their belongings were taken by settlers and other Europeans. It estimated that 4,000 people died on the Trail of Tears (Megan
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