Free Article Review On Trail Of Tears

An excerpt on the captivation of the Jews by the Babylonians from the Christian Bible relates the fears of the Jews to that of the Red Indians after the extraction of the two races from their homes. Thus begins the author’s tale of the sufferings of the people exiled from their homes and land by a ruthless nation anxious to possess their fruitful farms and acquire their properties. Dubbed the “Trail of Tears”, the article traces the events and in some cases, mentions important people in the Indian tribes’ 800-mile trek to their new homes in the West (190). Making up the Indian nation are the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Seminole tribes all of whom lose many of their people and heritage under the white men.
In the words of Major General Scott, leader of the militia overseeing the evacuation process, the forced banishment came as a consequence of the natives’ disregard for the treaty of 1835 (183). According to the man, the agreement called for the Cherokee Indians to move to the “other side of Mississippi” and join their already settled Indians (183). Prior the banishing process, the author informs his readers of the Indians’ disbelief over the ability of the white man to expel them from their land. John Ross, a chief of the Cherokee tribe, encourages the confidence of the people in the humanity nature of the white man. As proof, there are American missionaries spreading the gospel amongst the Cherokees further reinforcing the aforementioned perceptions of the whites (182). However, Dan Van Every is quick to point out the ruthless actions of the white men from Alabama and Georgia (182). According the author, the actions of the men should have cautioned the Indian tribes.
The journey to the West by the Cherokees begins with confinements in “Prison stockades” (184) after the roundup and pillaging of their properties. The author estimates “17,000” Cherokees under custody and within a short time, cases of disease outbreaks lead to the high despair amongst the people (185). In June 1838, the long journey began with the Cherokees taking the lead. The move entailed the use of “steamboats, keelboats and flatboats” before boarding “cars drawn by the two puffing little locomotives of the railroad” (186). The next part of the journey is ridden by “heat and drought” and later “deluges of rain followed by excessive cold." The unfavorable weather conditions cause many deaths of the Indian population as they continued on the journey (188). An eyewitness account recorded in the article reports of the poor conditions under which the people had to sleep and in turn, the pitiful health statuses of the people (190).
The Chickasaw tribe followed next with similar conditions; however, unpreparedness like the Cherokees is not the primary cause. Rather the second nation was too prepared that they were the victims of shrewd contractors and all the food they carried spoilt before reaching their destination (191). In addition, a smallpox epidemic led to multiple deaths and like the Cherokees, the second tribe also dwindled in numbers at a rapid rate (191). Next in the eviction, is the Seminole tribe with most of its people showing signs of malnourishment before embarking on the journey (191). However, unlike the previous two, white slave owners continually harassed the tribe for their strong resemblance to the black race (191). Thus, aside from the diseases and harsh weather, the people suffered harassment and frequent threats to of slavery by the white men. Eventually, very few Indians remained in the original motherland and the eviction process turned to be a success.
The “Trail of Tears” marked not only the loss of property and ancestral lands for the Indians but also the loss of cultures and their livelihoods (193). Consequently, there emerged prophets to comfort the people and reassure them of their reconnection with their deities. On the other hand, the tribes renounced any form of civilization by the white man and embraced their traditions once more (193). Most notably is the case of Tsali, an East Cherokee tribesman whose bravery and sacrifice prevented the more deaths in his tribe (186). In addition, religion fantasies emerged in which, the people invoked multiple spiritual dances and other forms of rituals to awaken the dead souls of their tribes (193). As an inferior tribe to the whites, it was popular belief that once awakened; the men will seek divine retribution and wipe out the white race (193).