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The Trail of Tears was a series of forced Indian removals by the United States government over 2 decadesduring, but the removal of the Cherokee nation from Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama is the most famous of these forced marches. This While the Cherokee removal is the relocation that is most people associate often associated with the Trail of Tears, but it was no not the only one. The Seminoles (1832), the Choctaw (1830), the Chickasaw (1832), the Creek (1832), the Fox (1832), the Sauk and the Cherokee (1835) were all removed from their ancestral lands. Each of these removals resulted an appalling loss of life.
====Andrew Jackson and Indian removalWhy Remove Native Americans?====Why was Jackson so committed to removal? Jackson fundamentally believed that Native Americans represented a serious security risk to the United States. Jackson strongly favored removing had taken part in the United States campaign against members of the Creek nation who followed Tecumseh in 1814. Tecumseh believed that the 60United States represented an existential threat to not only Creek tribe,000 Cherokeebut all Native Americans in the United States. Tecumseh lead a revolt against the United States to push back the advance of American settlers. Tecumseh's revolted was defeated at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in 1814, Chickasawbut Jackson had already decided that Native Americans and US settlers could not live together peaceful. As a result the Tecumseh's defeat, Choctaw and Jackson imposed terms on the entire Creek and Seminole (the Civilized Tribes) nation that removed them from North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippitheir ancestral lands.
====Opposition to Indian Andrew Jackson and The RemovalAct 0f 1830====Triggered Jackson strongly favored removing the creation of a reform movement - Catherine Beecher 60,000 Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Creek and Seminole (later Stowethe Civilized Tribes) started a the largest petition movement at the from North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. Indian Removal was one of Andrew Jackson's most important goals. It was so important that time“The William Penn Essays” was during Jackson’s first message to Congress, he asked for a anti-removal Treatise bill and became extremely well-knownMartin Van Buren funds to move these tribes west of the Mississippi. Jackson's first major piece of legislation was surprised by the level of oppositionAnti-removal reform movement led many activists to abolitionism1830 Removal Act.
Despite public opposition - Jackson ensured that Congress passed bills that removed Indians and gave Jackson the ability to set aside Western lands
Jackson believed that removal was “just and humane” because it would leave the Indians free from influence of the states
Jackson was also outraged by the claim by the Cherokees that they were a sovereign nation - unconstitutional and unrealistic
He believed that no new state could be created in the jurisdiction of a state
====Opposition to Indian Removal====
Triggered the creation of a reform movement -
Catherine Beecher (later Stowe) started a the largest petition movement at the that time.
“The William Penn Essays” was a anti-removal Treatise and became extremely well-known.
Martin Van Buren was surprised by the level of opposition.
Anti-removal reform movement led many activists to abolitionism.
====Cherokee Legal Opposition====
====Early Removal====
[[File:Trails_of_Tears_en.png|left|thumbnail|400px|left|Map showing the trails that Indians were forced to follow during Removal]]
Most of the southern tribes gave up and moved west.Seminoles and fugitive slaves who lived with them - resisted the move.Started the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).Approximately 3,000 people (evenly split between Seminoles and US troops were killed).3,000 Seminoles forced to move west - a small group remained in Florida.
====Cherokee Removal and the Trail of Tears====