Trail of Tears: Difference between revisions

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The presidency of Andrew Jackson (1830-1938) was marked by policies that removed Native Americans from their ancestral lands. This relocation of American Indians was designed to make room for settlers into those lands. Also, land speculators could make significant profits from the buying and selling of land. There was almost no political resistance to these policies because the main supporters of Jackson lived in the western and southern states. They favored plans to free up the land that was occupied by Native Americans along the frontier west of the Mississippi River. The removal of First Nation people was often begun in the winter and the Native Americans had little in the way of protective clothing or shoes and no food was provided to them along the way. They often had little notice and no opportunity to prepare for the removal. They were not allowed into the villages and towns in their way and this necessitated even longer and harder routes to reach their destination in Oklahoma. Resistance was met with armed militia and there was little that the Indians could do to defend themselves.  

In 1987, over 2100 miles of the original trails were named the "Trail of Tears National Historic Trail" by Federal Law. The trail crosses rivers, waterways and portions of nine states. Native Americans were marched through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Efforts have been made to gather and record information about [[American Indian Genealogy|American Indian Genealogy]]for those who are studying their heritage. <br>