CHAPTER 7
The Trail of Tears

Jackson had many challenges facing him as the new president. The United States was growing quickly in both population and size. Between 1800 and 1830, the number of citizens increased from over five million to more than twelve million. People wanted land for themselves and their families and were pushing the borders of the country farther west in search of a place to settle.

There were over sixty thousand Native Americans living in the Southeast. Many of them were Cherokee. Seminoles, Creeks, and other tribes lived there as well. The Indians of this area were peaceful, and not a threat to the Americans. They were traders and farmers.

Even so, white Americans felt that they had the right to own this land. Jackson agreed. He still saw the Indians as a danger to the young country.

The United States in 1830

Soon after Jackson took office, an area that had been established for the Cherokee people was taken over by the state of Georgia. The Supreme Court said that this was illegal. And indeed it was. However, Jackson decided to allow it anyway. On May 28, 1830, he signed the Indian Removal Act. It ordered the Indians to leave their homes and move to an area west of the Mississippi River. This area eventually became the state of Oklahoma.

Some members of Congress criticized this harsh new law. They said that it was cruel and unfair. Andrew argued that he was making peace by separating the Indians and the white settlers. He believed that he was creating a new state for the Indian people.

Over the next few years, nearly seventeen thousand Cherokee were forced to leave their homes and belongings and travel 1,200 miles to the new territory. The route they traveled became known as the Trail of Tears. Some were packed into crowded trains. Many others were forced to march. Thousands died of disease and starvation. Nearly one out of every three of these Indians did not survive.

To this day, the Trail of Tears is considered one of the worst moments in American history. It is shameful that Andrew Jackson made it happen. It also became one of the main things that Jackson would be remembered for.