ipl-logo

Historical Documentative Analysis

704 Words3 Pages

This historical document was written by Private John G. Burnett. Burnett’s diary entry was written on December 11, 1890. The years of the diary were during his journey through the Trail of Tears between 1828 and 1839. Burnett was a reserved person who was just fine with being by himself for weeks at a time. As he hunted more and more, he became acquainted with many of the Cherokee Indians who grew to eventually become his friends. Private Burnett wrote this diary entry to show the horror of what was happening between the American Indians and the Americans. The Americans were forcefully taking the Native Americans out of their homes and making them move, saying goodbye to what once was their homes and life. Burnett wanted this horrific removal …show more content…

Burnett said it himself, “Murder is murder, and somebody must answer. Somebody must explain the streams of blood that flowed in the Indian country in the summer of 1838. Somebody must explain the 4000 silent graves that mark the trail of the Cherokees to their exile.” This event took place because American were searching for more land. The Cherokees were happy and healthy at their old homes, but once President Andrew signed the bill in 1830, making it the Indian Removal Act, the Indians had no control whatsoever and had to do what they were told. They took nothing into consideration when looking for land, and because of the carelessness attribute, Americans did not care they were ripping the native homeland away from the Cherokee Nation. Private Burnett’s document is not twisted in any way. Although he was not Native, Burnett understood the Cherokee Indians. Burnett felt sad with the Indians, he felt mad with them and most importantly, Burnett understood them. Burnett wants The Trail of Tears to be known to show what happened to his friends. He suffered along with them, seeing people die around him and when they became depressed because they were forcefully being taken away from their homes. Burnett was not bias because these events happened, people lost mothers, fathers, siblings, Cherokees also lost hope and dreams. A historian would use this source by

Open Document