Trail Of Tears Essay Outline

Between 1838 until 1839, 100,000 Native Americans took the journey west on what is now known as The Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears was a tragic event in American history, involving the forced removal of many Native American tribes from their ancestral lands east of the Mississippi River and migration to what is now present-day Oklahoma. Affecting Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes, they suffered with hunger, disease, and exhaustion, which resulted in the deaths of 4,000 people along the way. It had profound impacts on their cultures, communities, and ways of life. In this essay, we will explore the background, causes, and significance of the Trail of Tears.

The origins of the Trail of Tears can be traced back to the colonization of North America by European settlers, which initially brought about conflicts between Native American tribes and the American colonies. As the United States gained its independence and expanded territory westward, conflicts over both land and resources intensified, leading to the Indian Removal Act in the early 19th century. The Indian Removal Act of 1830, signed into law by President Andrew Jackson,

One of the main reasons was the desire for land in the United States. Many settlers wanted access to fertile lands, which were inhabited by Native American tribes: the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw Creek, and Seminole. These lands were seen as valuable for agriculture and resources, and for the expansion of the American economy. Another motive was the belief in Manifest Destiny, the idea that the United States was destined to expand. This belief had fueled the idea of westward expansion and the notion that Native Americans were just obstacles to be removed in order to pursue this belief. Racism and the sense of cultural superiority from the European settlers also played a role in the mistreatment of and removal of Native