Trail of Tears

[Fever]

There are several ordeals throughout the history of the U.S. that makes me ashamed to say I am an american. The history of the United States is filled with lies and genocides that were ommited from our history books. I thought i might take this as a chance to enlighten you guys on what i have recently learned.

The Trail of Tears: Nunna daul Tsuny


" Trail Where They Cried"
Kenneth C. Davis writes:

Hollywood has left the impression that the great Indian wars came in the Old West during the late 1800's, a period that many think of simplistically as the "cowboy and Indian" days. But in fact that was a "mopping up" effort. By that time the Indians were nearly finished, their subjugation complete, their numbers decimated. The killing, enslavement, and land theft had begun with the arrival of the Europeans. But it may have reached its nadir when it became federal policy under President (Andrew) Jackson.
The Cherokees in 1828 were not nomadic savages. In fact, they had assimilated many European-style customs, including the wearing of gowns by Cherokee women. They built roads, schools and churches, had a system of representational government, and were farmers and cattle ranchers. A Cherokee alphabet, the "Talking Leaves" was perfected by Sequoyah.


"I would sooner be honestly damned than hypocritically immortalized"
Davy Crockett.

His political career destroyed because he supported the Cherokee, he left Washington D. C. and headed west to Texas.
In 1830 the Congress of the United States passed the "Indian Removal Act." Although many Americans were against the act, most notably Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett, it passed anyway. President Jackson quickly signed the bill into law. The Cherokees attempted to fight removal legally by challenging the removal laws in the Supreme Court and by establishing an independent Cherokee Nation. At first the court seemed to rule against the Indians. In Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, the Court refused to hear a case extending Georgia's laws on the Cherokee because they did not represent a sovereign nation. In 1832, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokee on the same issue in Worcester v. Georgia. In this case Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Cherokee Nation was sovereign, making the removal laws invalid. The Cherokee would have to agree to removal in a treaty. The treaty then would have to be ratified by the Senate.

By 1835 the Cherokee were divided and despondent. Most supported Principal Chief John Ross, who fought the encroachment of whites starting with the 1832 land lottery. However, a minority(less than 500 out of 17,000 Cherokee in North Georgia) followed Major Ridge, his son John, and Elias Boudinot, who advocated removal. The Treaty of New Echota, signed by Ridge and members of the Treaty Party in 1835, gave Jackson the legal document he needed to remove the First Americans. Ratification of the treaty by the United States Senate sealed the fate of the Cherokee. Among the few who spoke out against the ratification were Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, but it passed by a single vote. In 1838 the United States began the removal to Oklahoma, fulfilling a promise the government made to Georgia in 1802. Ordered to move on the Cherokee, General John Wool resigned his command in protest, delaying the action. His replacement, General Winfield Scott, arrived at New Echota on May 17, 1838 with 7000 men. Early that summer General Scott and the United States Army began the invasion of the Cherokee Nation.


In one of the saddest episodes of our brief history, men, women, and children were taken from their land, herded into makeshift forts with minimal facilities and food, then forced to march a thousand miles(Some made part of the trip by boat in equally horrible conditions). Under the generally indifferent army commanders, human losses for the first groups of Cherokee removed were extremely high. John Ross made an urgent appeal to Scott, requesting that the general let his people lead the tribe west. General Scott agreed. Ross organized the Cherokee into smaller groups and let them move separately through the wilderness so they could forage for food. Although the parties under Ross left in early fall and arrived in Oklahoma during the brutal winter of 1838-39, he significantly reduced the loss of life among his people. About 4000 Cherokee died as a result of the removal. The route they traversed and the journey itself became known as "The Trail of Tears" or, as a direct translation from Cherokee, "The Trail Where They Cried" ("Nunna daul Tsuny").

[elijahcraig]

That makes me sick. I would have no problem gutting Andrew Jackson and his whole flock of pigs.

[Indysocialist]

I heard a group called Corporate Avenger sum up Jackson pretty well, "If Hitler was on the twenty dollar bill, how would the Jews feel?"
I saw a show on A&E on the TOP 10 BEST PRESIDENTS, all patriotic and all that garbage, and that murderer Jackson got like #8! It's amazing to me how nationalistic our country is that we Americans can renounce the Nazis and Stalin but we have a figure who pretty much laid the ground work! FUCKING HELL that makes me so angry.

[tresa909]

the old saying goes, "pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered" which i haven't seen happen yet.

i know we are not to dwell on the past only looking back into the past we get an idea of where the future is headed, i think. like geronimo says "why does the white man want ALL of the land?"

what i don't understand is the indian becoming a sovereign nation in 1832 yet the government goes ahead with the removal in 1835. treaties are considered the "supreme laws" of the land yet they are treated in the least regard yet you get cops enforcing these bullshite little meaningless worthless laws every day to protect the interests of the status quo. and we won't even speak on commercial or military contracts...arghhhh because they seem to rule everything. nothing makes any sense.

the funny thing is, when i was around religious people they never addressed these types of issues and i am beginning to find out that everything they tried to brain wash me about as being evil was just a cover-up! i am not mad at the christians i just don't believe in the causes anymore. i hate that gods name is on money. maybe it's a cry for help. maybe one day as we help ourselves he will acknowledge his real power to anyone who believes in a better way, and he will help us all.

man, there is nothing in this world i can look at and honestly say, "i want". things will work out, eventually, i truly believe in that no matter how painful life is.

"where the body is the vultures gather" - jesus
"where the body is the eagles gather" - jesus

[trudeaumania]

Thanks for the post, FEVER. The history of this nation need to be told. The truth needs to be revealed. Everyone of us who calls ourselves Americans, must learn the truth. And in doing so, the next time this issue comes up. Especially in a private conversation, we can point out the injustices of this nation.- Any American reading this knows that where ever we live, the land that we now call our own, once belonged to the Indian peoples. But this is all called progress, in the age of capitalism. The time of displacement. Survival of the fittest.- If I remember the history, I believe Sam Houston was also an opponent of this forced removal. But like Davy Crockett, he made his fate in Texas. Which is another lesson, by opposing an issue, lossing, and then leaving. What happens? The fate remains the same. -We must never give into despair. Especially if we have any influence left, to oppose the injustice.