At the beginning of Westward Expansion, the European settlers in America wanted more land. The Americans believed in Manifest Destiny. Meaning they thought they had the God-given right to expand to the Pacific Ocean. The United States government and Andrew Jackson, the president at the time, didn’t see the Indians as people, but as obstacles. In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. All Indians east of the Mississippi river had to leave and move west to Indian Territory, present day Oklahoma. Their journey was known as the Trail of Tears. There were five main tribes affected by the Trail of Tears; The Choctaw, The Seminole, The Creek, The Chickasaw, and The Cherokee.
Andrew Jackson became president in 1829. He wanted the Indians gone, even though the Native Americans and European settlers had been at peace for hundreds of years. His reasons were cultural differences and the growing country. Andrews Jackson's beliefs were not just to grow the US territory, but also to grow in power and wealth. The legislation allowed him to negotiate treaties and make policies to keep the Indians away and eventually he forced them out of their land to Oklahoma.
The Choctaw were some of the first Native Americans to walk the Trail of Tears. Their land spanned across Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. They had a leadership just like the United States. In 1831, the first migration happened, starting in Mississippi and ending in Oklahoma. They willingly signed a treaty, named the Dancing Rabbit Creek, handing over their land without knowing that the government was lying to them. When the Choctaw signed the treaty, they thought they would get five million dollars. On the trail, disease spread rapidly. For example, cholera, a disease caused by dirty water, killed thousands. The Choctaw were crowded together on the trail in unsanitary living conditions. Eventually, they rebuilt in Oklahoma, but they were scared physically and emotionally.
The Seminole built their homes in the Florida swamps, perfect for evading settlers. They did not try to follow the new customs from Europe and were known for their independence. They were made of a mixture of different people, like runaway slaves. The Seminole formed a resilience, fighting in many battles. Gradually, they were pushed from the inhospitable everglades to Indian Territory. Most of them left, but a small group stayed and the government gave up.
The Creek, or the Muscogee tribe, was in Georgia and Alabama. They were also one of the largest tribes. Their land was perfect for cotton farms. At first, the Creek council passed a law saying if anyone gave up their land without the council's permission they would execute them. After some time, some were willing to give up their land because they were scared of all the treaties the government wanted them to sign, but some, called the Red Sticks, wanted to stay and fight. In 1813, this caused a civil war in the tribe known as the Creek Indian War. In 1814, the Red Sticks lost and the war ended with the Treaty of Fort Jackson. Once the treaty was signed, the US government acquired 23 million acres of Creek land. The Creek were manipulated into signing the Treaty of Fort Jackson. On the Creek's journey to Indian Territory, they had many wars with the US militia. About 20 thousand Creeks died on the Trail of Tears. They tried to rebuild in Indian Territory alongside the other tribes and found ways to adapt to the new land.
The Chickasaw were known for their warrior spirit. They were in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. They had a chief and council, but not like the United States like a monarchy. They had music. They danced and told stories. For the Chickasaw, the emotional strain was greater than the physical strain on the Trail of Tears because they had to leave their homes and all their stuff behind. They managed to rebuild, it wasn’t easy, and found ways to adapt and preserve on their new land.
The Cherokee are proud people. They built their homes in the Appalachians before they were forced west. The Cherokee had a government like the US, where everybody had a say in choices. They also had their own alphabet! The Cherokee were one of the wealthiest and largest tribes and refused to give up their land. In 1791, the US signed a treaty saying the Cherokee nation was independent. The US government tried to get them to sign another\ treaty, the Treaty of New Echota, handing over their land. Chief John Ross led a petition against the treaty, getting signed by 16,000 Cherokee men and women. The Cherokee fought for their homeland in US courts. In 1828, the State of Georgia declared the Cherokee laws were no longer in effect when gold was found there because the people in Georgia wanted the gold. In 1832, the Cherokee case went to the Supreme Court. The court ruled that Georgia had no say over Cherokee land. This ruling was ignored by Andrew Jackson. In 1838, Andrew Jackson sent federal troops to force the Cherokee out of their homeland, the Appalachians. On October 1st, 1838, John Ross and the rest of the Cherokee said goodbye to their home. Over one-fourth of the Cherokee population died from disease and dehydration on the Trail of Tears. They traveled from North Carolina to Georgia. Then, the Cherokee went from Tennessee to Kentucky. After that, they went from Illinois to Missouri, Arkansas and finally ended up in Indian Territory.
The Trail of Tears was a brutal journey. Most Indians signed treaties thinking they would get five million dollars. The Indians who did not sign the treaties were held at gunpoint and housed in large prison camps called stockholds. The Indians were not allowed to get their possessions only what they had on their backs. Some died from heat and diseases and were housed in the camps until autumn. The Trail of Tears was 800 to 1,000 miles long during one of the worst winters ever. In March of 1839, the journey finally ended.
The Trail of Tears was long and seemed endless. Thousands of Indians died all because the newly settled Europeans in America wanted more land. The Trail of Tears was one of the longest and darkest trails for any of the Native Americans.
Written by a 6th Grader
References
Buchac, Joseph, “The Trail of Tears.” United States Random House Children's Books, 1999
Clara Sue Kidwell, “Choctaw (tribe),” The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, <www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=CH047>
Green, Dr. Robert P Jr., McGowan, Dr. Thomas M., Salvucci, Dr. Linda Kerrigan. “Horizons United States History Beginning.” Pg 389, Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, 2003
Hodgson, Molly. “Trail of Tears.” Molly Hodgson, 2025
“Ocmulgee Mounds.” National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, 10/28/2026, <www.nps.gov/ocmu/learn/historyculture/upload/Accessible-Muscogee-Creek-Removal.pdf>
Schwartz, Heather E., “Forced Removal.” North Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press, 2015
“Trail of Tears for Kids.” Ducksters, 2026, Technological Solutions Inc., 10/22/26, <ducksters.com/hisory/native_americans/trail_of_tears.php>