Trail Of Tears

Trail of Tears
On May 26, 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed into law the Indian Removal Act, which was part of a United States government strategy known as Indian removal. This act, along with the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit and the Treaty of New Echota, began a long and difficult process for the Indian culture. The Trail of Tears was the result of greed and desire for land by the Americans andhas proved to be a very controversial topic in history. With controversy, come varied viewpoints and attitudes. The second half of the twentieth century introduced one of the world’s greatest and powerful creations- the Internet. The Internet has made it possible for people across the world to exchange ideas and voice opinions. However, due to the openness and availability of the Internet, peoplecan produce inaccurate and extreme claims. Through documents and records, we have the access to factual and credible evidence. However, as individuals venture outside of this enclosure, they begin to be driven by pure emotion and opinion, which can lead to a wide range of perspectives on different issues. Although the Trail of Tears, for the most part, is a straightforward event in Americanhistory, strong emotions can skew and bias much of the known information.
In the particular article, The Cherokee’s “Trail of Tears”, the claims for the cause of the Trail of Tears are both interesting as well as extreme. “The Trail of Tears was where the Cherokee Indians were driven out of the Chattanooga area all the way to Oklahoma… Evolution is responsible for what happened to the Indians. How anyIndian can believe in evolution just blows my mind… the evolution theory is what destroyed them.” The article continues by citing another writer who sarcastically disproves this notion by stating that the Trail of Tears happened in the 1830’s and it was not until 1859 that Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species” was published. Although this assertion seems to be ridiculous and nonsensical, we asreaders, have to realize this is a claim made by an individual who legitimately believes the theory of evolution caused the relocation of the Native American culture. The sanity of this individual was not provided in the article but assumptions can be made. This article provides an idea for the variety and range of views that can be found on the Internet on sensitive subjects such as the Trail ofTears.
Next, in the article Cherokee by Blood: Trail of Tears, the author describes the hardships and pain each Native American culture experienced in the Trail of Tears. When reading this article, it was easy to see that the author was guided by passion and emotion for his people as he wrote the article. The author provides witness accounts of those who participated in the relocation of theNative Americans, survivor accounts, and a condensed timeline, which covers the events that point to the disparity and discrimination the Native Americans faced. Most of the accounts in this article are probably accurate, but the author seems to only focus on the brutality enforced by the Europeans. Describing the Native Americans as being “…herded like cattle” and the Trail of Tears as “…thecruelest work I ever knew” illustrates the intense feelings the author holds towards this event. Also, in the middle of the article, the author provides a portrait of Andrew Jackson with the quote, “…You have but one remedy within your reach, and that is to remove to the west. And the sooner you do this, the sooner you will commence your career of improvement and prosperity.” The portrait provides apicture of Andrew Jackson, this quote, and four pictures of distressed Native Americans around President Jackson’s face. At the bottom of the article, in fine print, is a note by the author claiming that he had knowingly tampered with the portrait. Not only does the article make the reader feel sympathy and compassion for the Native Americans, it also portrays the white European as a ruthless and...