406 - Trail of Tears

What is the Trail of Tears?

• A specific route

• The forced relocation of Native Americans away from their land

•  A memorial to mark the history of the United States treatment of Native Americans

Why did white Americans refer to the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole as the "Five Civilized Tribes"?

• They had adopted many of the customs of white Americans: clothing, housing, government, etc.

• They resisted white American traditions and ways of life

• They had impeccable table manners

Why did settlers want to convince Native Americans to move west?

• They were concerned about the tribes not being able to survive on their current land

• They thought that the opportunities out west would be better for the tribes

• They wanted to take over the land that the tribes occupied

What was the goal of the Indian Removal Act of 1830?

• It would allow Native Americans to freely trade their current lands for money and new land west of the Mississippi

• It gave Native Americans stronger protections to maintain their lands

• It recognized the tribes as sovereign nations

Who signed the Indian Removal Act?

• The Five Civilized Tribes

• Andrew Jackson

• George Washington

How did the Seminole tribe respond to removal?

• They happily sold their land

• They looked forward to new adventures in the west

• They fought the US government for over 10 years before being forcibly removed

What were conditions like on the Trail of Tears?

• Safe and comfortable

• Horrible: disease and starvation took many lives

• Not the best, but not the wors

How many Cherokee died in the camps or on the trail?

• 3/4

• 1/2

• 1/3

The Cherokee and other tribes were able to survive and preserve their history and cutlural identifty to this day.

• True

• False

In 1987, what did Congress create through NINE states to commemorate the tragic removal of Native Americans during Jackson's Presidency? 

• Remember the Alamo National Historic Trail

• The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

• The Oregon National Historic Trail

• The Battle of San Jacinto National Historic Trail