Trail of Tears Documentary Review

The Policy of Civilization helped to fund missionary organizations to go into indian nations particularly in the south and teach indians how to be the normal, stereotypical white american of the time. This included teaching them how to eat, dress, pray, and live the life that white americans believed to be a civilized, normal life. It was introduced to the Cherokees when Jefferson states that if a tribe took the steps to become a civilized tribe, then they could be an integrated and equal part of society. This led the Cherokee to take these steps in order that they would be viewed as equals to the whites. Sequoyah was the first to come up with a reading and writing system in a language when he himself could not read or write in any other language, but more importantly he was the first to come up with a reading and writing system in the Cherokee language. This would revolutionize the Cherokee society and enable them to be a literate people and more united. They would be able to have a translated bible, write formulas in their language, record what occured in the Cherokee nation, etc. The Cherokee unity and tribe's declaration of absolute sovereignty of their lands made the white people of Georgia very angry because they wanted that land (due to a gold rush that popped up) and annoyed because they were in the way and an inferior people. After the Indian Removal was put into place on May 28, 1830 by Andrew Jackson, it authorized Jackson to swap(for sure with force) the Indians their land for land west of the Mississippi River. A few tribes went peacefully, but many of them resisted the relocation policy and did not go. The state of Georgia and the white people within it were angry with the Cherokee and began selling their lands away and eventually would begin the Assembly of Cherokee People to force them off the lands. When the majority of Cherokee would not leave their land after the removal deadline federal and state militias came in and started the Assembly of Cherokee People, basically stating that everything except for what was already on the backs of the people belonged to the nation and the state. They were physically pushed out of their land and forced to move westward in the extremely awful and terrible Trail of Tears. There was a fundamental change in values and beliefs for Americans during this time. There was growing racism in the country and increased belief that the white american was superior to all other races which could be seen in the new idea called nativism, increased role of slavery, and the indian removal act. With the invention of the the cotton gin, slavery increased in the south and spread towards the lands of the indian tribes, especially the five civilized tribes. The Cherokee Nations were then targeted by the federal and state governments because they wanted their land and led to the policies of indian removal.

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