g to the reports of John Burnett, as the groups departed, children stood up in the wagons and waved good-bye to their mountain homes (38). The only supplies provided by the government were one wagon for every twenty people, one saddle horse for every four. The wagons carried belongings, the old, the ill, the disabled, and small children. Able-bodied women, men and older children walked beside the wagon the entire trip (39). The journey soon became known as “ The Trail Where They Cried,” or “The Trail of Tears,” (Wilkins, 315). The Cherokees became angry when the blankets, shoes, and winter clothing they were promised had not arrived (41). The Cherokees were not exactly welcomed in the lands they passed through on their journey. Some large landowner’s demanded payment from them for crossing their land. Often times the food that was supposed to be supplied for the people was delivered late. They became very hungry. The food that was left by the suppliers was often spoiled meat, !

the 80 estimated days. Travel time ranged from 93 to 139 days, an average of 116 (Wilkins, 315). When the tribes finally arrived in the West, few families had the money, tools, or animals they needed to start over. They found little, if any, warm welcome from the inhabitants. The soil and weather were very different from the fertile lands and mild climate of their homelands. Although it was extremely difficult the Cherokees were determined to start over and build a new homeland (Gilbert, 71).

d was higher than that of their white neighbors (Gilbert, 8). The arrival of Europeans became the greatest challenge for the Cherokee people. Before they ever saw their first white man, they felt the effects of the enemy that accompanied the settlers. The Native Americans contained little immunity to fight the deadly European diseases. They had no knowledge of how to treat them. The diseases took their toll on the Indians, reducing their populations from more than thirty thousand Cherokees before the introduction of diseases to as few as sixteen thousand after (5). The Indians developed a deadly logic to the situation; all epidemic illness followed the white man into the country, therefore the white man is the cause of the epidemics (Starkey, 10). The first known contact with the Cherokees was from the Spaniards. The primary motives for early English exploration were trade and military alliances; it was not until later that land obtainment became an obsession (Fogelson, 11).

rokee Indians were overwhelmed with grief and sadness from losing their homelands and thousands of their people, and having to endure a treacherous journey for the happiness of white settlers who invaded the Cherokee lands and called it their own.

The Cherokees forced removal from their homes in southeastern United States had not been planned carefully enough. The journey was only supposed to take three months but ended up taking four. Federal and state officials had been mistaken about the number of people going and they were not prepared to supply the Cherokees with al

Some topics in this essay:
John Burnett, Tears” Wilkins, North Carolina, Jones Baptist, John Ross, Perdue Green, June Scott, Native Americans, Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Indians, perdue green, north carolina, cherokee indians, cherokee people, john ross, white settlers, perdue green 1, 3 cherokees, forced removal, removal act, 20 cherokees,