The Cherokee Nation exhausted its options to resist removal and faced increasing pressure to leave. Removal eventually became inevitable and United States troops entered Cherokee lands.
ᎨᏥᏌᏙᏴ ᏕᎨᏥᎧᎲᏒᎢ
Forced Removal
Forced Removal
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Cherokee Removal. Drawing by Sam Watts Scott
Persistence
Portrait of General Winfield
President Martin Van Buren assigned General Winfield Scott to head the forcible removal of Cherokee citizens.
General Scott arrived in Athens, Tennessee, and issued his first orders from there on May 10, 1838, to an army of about 2,200 federal soldiers. They began forcing Cherokee from their homes at point.
Ooloo-Cha, widow of Sweet Water quote
“The soldiers came and took us from our home. They. . . drove us out of doors and did not permit us to take anything with us, not even a second change of clothes.”— Ooloo-Cha, widow of Sweet Water
Roundups occurred day and night as people were herded like animals into camps, where they were held to wait for their removal west.
Roundups occurred day and night as people were herded like animals into camps, where they were held to wait for their removal west.
Some Cherokee remained in these camps up to five months before departure. Many became sick from disease and died. By June 1838, thousands of Cherokees began the journey west in led by the U.S. Military.
Quote by Reverend Daniel S. Butrick
“Thus in two or three days about 8,000 people, many of whom were in good circumstances, and some rich, were rendered homeless, houseless and penniless, . . . while the soldiers, it is said, would often use the same language as if driving hogs, and goad them forward with their bayonets.”— Reverend Daniel S. Butrick
Portrait of Annie Fields Ballard and Lacy Christie
Annie Fields Ballard
Lacy Christie
The weather caused many delays, and sickness continued to spread in the camps. By the end of June, Scott made the decision to suspend removal until September.
Annie Fields Ballard was a removal survivor who settled in Indian Territory.
Portrait of Annie Fields Ballard, n.d. Photograph, courtesy of Cherokee National Archives, Cherokee Heritage CenterLacy Christie walked the Trail of Tears with his wife and children.
Portrait of Lacy Christie, n.d. Photograph, courtesy of Cherokee National Archives, Cherokee Heritage CenterTribal Self-Removal
ᎠᏂᎳᏍᏓᏢ ᎤᏅᏒ ᏧᏄᎪᏔᏅ ᎤᎾᏓᏅᏓ
Tribal Self-Removal
After seeing the conditions of the and learning of hardships faced by Cherokee who had already been forcibly removed, Principal Chief John Ross requested that General Winfield Scott allow him to oversee the remainder of the removal process.
Ross argued that, as the leader of the Cherokee Nation, he could better provide for the needs of his people. General Scott agreed, and Ross oversaw thirteen remaining detachments.
The Trail of Tears Routes Map
Drag the slider to see the long journey from Removal Camps to Tahlequah.
The Trail of Tears Routes Map
Tahlequah
The Cherokee National Council delegates Tahlequah, Oklahoma as the new capital of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
Removal Routes
Removal routes varied and required that individuals, families, and communities endure incredibly harsh conditions. Several of the removal routes required water crossings, which were hazardous and not well- planned by the United States.
Removal Camps
After being forcibly rounded up and removed from their homes by the U.S. Government, Cherokee peoples were interned at U.S. military forts and other encampments.
Even before the Cherokee began their harrowing journey west of the Mississippi, many suffered and died in the removal camps due to the inhumane conditions, close quarters, and unsanitary conditions.
Of the nearly 16,000 Cherokee people removed to the west, historians estimate that 2,000 to 4,000 perished. The chaos surrounding the military roundups and splitting of people into detachments separated families before the journey even began.
Cherokee people were forced to leave their homes, farms, and businesses behind.
This map was adapted from the National Park Service 2012 Trail of Tears map.The Trail of Tears Routes Map
Of the nearly 16,000 Cherokee people removed to the west, historians estimate that 2,000 to 4,000 perished. The chaos surrounding the military roundups and splitting of people into detachments separated families before the journey even began.
Cherokee people were forced to leave their homes, farms, and businesses behind.
Removal Camps
After being forcibly rounded up and removed from their homes by the U.S. Government, Cherokee peoples were interned at U.S. military forts and other encampments.
Even before the Cherokee began their harrowing journey west of the Mississippi, many suffered and died in the removal camps due to the inhumane conditions, close quarters, and unsanitary conditions.
Removal Routes
Removal routes varied and required that individuals, families, and communities endure incredibly harsh conditions. Several of the removal routes required water crossings, which were hazardous and not well- planned by the United States.
Tahlequah
The Cherokee National Council delegates Tahlequah, Oklahoma as the new capital of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
Quote from Cherokee leaders from the Aquohee Camps
“But we ask that you will not send us down the river at this time of year. If you do we shall die, our wives will die and our children will die. Sir, our hearts are heavy, very heavy[.]”— Cherokee leaders from the Aquohee Camps to General Winfield Scott, Fort Cass, June 17, 1838
The removal of Cherokee people from their homes was devastating
The removal of Cherokee people from their homes was devastating. The toll of the loss was felt for many generations among the tribe.
Quote: account of a “traveler from Maine”
“We found them [about 1,100 in all] in the forest camped for the night by the side of the road . . . under a severe fall of rain, accompanied by heavy wind. With their canvas for a shield from the inclemency of the weather, and the cold wet ground for a resting place, where after the fatigue of the day, they spent the night. When I read the President’s Message that he was happy to inform the Senate that the Cherokee were peaceable and without reluctance removed . . . I wished the President could have been there that very day in Kentucky with myself, and have seen the comfort and willingness with which the Cherokee were making their journey.”
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
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1|What difficult decisions did leaders of the Cherokee Nation face during their people’s forced removal?
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2|How did the United States president portray removal to the U.S. Congress? How does his portrayal compare to other evidence?