Which tribe was affected by the trail of tears

Library of Congress. Scholars Debate. Guiding Student Discussion. Links to Online Resources. Illustration Credits. Census of Cherokee families in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee probably the federal census ; excerpt. Phrase "died during the emigration" appears repeatedly in the remarks.

University of Georgia Libraries. Between and , over 90 percent of their lands were ceded to others. By the s, Sequoyah's syllabary brought literacy and a formal governing system with a written constitution. In the same year the Indian Removal Act was passed - gold was found on Cherokee lands. Georgia held lotteries to give Cherokee land and gold rights to whites.

Cherokees were not allowed to conduct tribal business, contract, testify in courts against whites, or mine for gold. The Cherokees successfully challenged Georgia in the U.

Supreme Court. President Jackson, when hearing of the Court's decision, reportedly said, "[Chief Justice] John Marshall has made his decision; let him enforce it now if he can. Most Cherokees opposed removal. Yet a minority felt that it was futile to continue to fight. They believed that they might survive as a people only if they signed a treaty with the United States. In December , the U.

Only to Cherokees were there; none were elected officials of the Cherokee Nation. Twenty signed the treaty, ceding all Cherokee territory east of the Mississippi to the U. More than 15, Cherokees protested the illegal treaty. Senate — by just one vote. Most Cherokees, including Chief John Ross, did not believe that they would be forced to move. Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Honor or memorial gifts are an everlasting way to pay tribute to someone who has touched your life.

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Become a Volunteer Involve Students. Other Online Encyclopedias Other Resources. Lesson Plans History Day Volunteers Donors. Entries All Entries Trail of Tears. Type Thing. Related Media Trail of Tears. The tribes were forced to negotiate and sign relocation treaties and could voluntarily move or be forced to move at gunpoint by the US Army. The Removal Act created conflict among the Five Tribes.

Some members felt that they should accept the inevitable move West, while most wanted to fight removal as long as they could. An example of this is the Cherokee Nation. Major John Ridge, one of the chiefs of the Cherokee Nation, and some others close to him felt that fighting was pointless. Georgia and Cherokee Nation v. Georgia , where the court upheld the Cherokee Nation's sovereignty. They believed this would help them fight removal. The Cherokee citizens were held in disease-ridden camps and forced to march with little food, water, or good winter clothes.