WorksheetsJohn G Burnett Letter to His Children
Total questions: 13
Worksheet time: 7mins
Read this excerpt: “On these long hunting trips, I met many Cherokee Indians. I learned to speak their language… I lived among them and they taught me their Native customs.” What does this tell us about Burnett before he became a soldier?
He rarely spoke to the Cherokee
He feared the Cherokee
He formed friendships with the Cherokee and learned from them
He believed the Cherokee caused problems on the frontier
Read this excerpt: “I witnessed the most terrible chapter in the history of American warfare.” “This was a trail of death.” “The white race wanted their land, so the Cherokees had to suffer.” Which sentence best explains Burnett’s main message?
The removal helped the country grow
The soldiers were brave heroes
The Cherokee removal was cruel, unjust, and driven by greed
Gold discovery improved life in the region
Read this excerpt: “Children: This is my birthday. I am 80 years old…” “Now it is 1890 and the true facts of this enormous crime are being hidden from the young people of today.” Who is Burnett mainly writing to?
Government leaders
Other soldiers
Historians
His children and younger generations
Read this excerpt: “The true facts of this enormous crime are being hidden…” “Let the history books in the future day tell the sad story…” Why did Burnett write this account?
To describe his military training
To explain why settlers wanted land
To reveal the cruelty he witnessed and make sure it is remembered
To praise General Winfield Scott
Read this excerpt: “I witnessed the most terrible chapter in the history of American warfare.” What word best describes Burnett’s tone in this sentence?
Proud
Angry
Sorrowful and horrified
Neutral
Read this excerpt: “All the Indian girls I met were kind and tender-hearted.” What does this reveal about Burnett’s attitude toward the Cherokee?
Disrespectful
Fearful
Admiring and respectful
Indifferent
Read this excerpt: “Suddenly she fell to the ground and died with her baby still on her back.” What feeling is this image meant to create in the reader?
Excitement
Confusion
Sympathy and sadness
Hope
Read this excerpt: “They had to sleep in the wagons and on the ground without a fire. As many as 22 Cherokee died in one night.” What overall tone does this passage create?
Adventurous
Peaceful
Tragic and grim
Optimistic
Read this excerpt: “Four-thousand silent graves reached from the foothills of the Smoky Mountains to the Indian territory in the West.” Why does Burnett use this image?
To provide an exact statistic
To praise military success
To show the massive loss of life and lasting impact
To explain geography
Read this excerpt: “Let the history books in the future day tell the sad story with its tears and sounds of the dying.” What does this sentence reveal about Burnett’s purpose?
He wants to entertain readers
He wants to defend the army
He wants future generations to remember the truth
He wants to explain economic causes
What president signed the Indian Removal Act?
CJ Hollis
George Washington
Andrew Jackson
Abraham Lincoln
Which Native American tribe was primarily affected by the Trail of Tears?
Apache
Navajo
Sioux
Cherokee
What was the primary goal of the Indian Removal Act of 1830?
To protect Native American land rights
To assimilate Native Americans into European-American culture
To relocate Native American tribes west of the Mississippi River
To establish a system of government for Native American tribes
