LITR 4332: American Minority Literature

Cana Hauerland

Cherokees, the "Trail of Tears," and Other Tribal Connections

I chose to research the Cherokee Removal and the "Trail of Tears" because though many are familiar with these subjects, most do not have a full concept of everything that occurred during this time period. When I first began researching the Cherokee Removal, I found an abundance of information on the subject because of its extensity.  Then I decided to focus on intriguing subjects that helped me discover information on other tribes that participated in the "Trail of Tears". Interesting information I located on the Cherokee Removal consisted of the role of Georgia, the experiences during the attempt to civilize the Cherokees, the Cherokee Census Report, and the unlimited tribal participation in "Trail of Tears".  Each of these subjects help tremendously to illustrate mental and physical pictures of several class objectives. All of these topics may be used in the classroom to teach a large variety of subjects concerning Native Americans, and each will lead to additional topics.

Georgia played a destructive role in the Cherokee Removal as "no state agitated more consistently or aggressively for the expulsion of Native people from within its borders, no legislature sent more resolutions to Congress, no congressional delegation worked harder, and no press devoted more space to its support (The Cherokee Removal Perdue and Green 58). In many instances, the removal of the Cherokees and the "Trail of Tears" can be attributed to Georgia. Originally, the Cherokees had a treaty with the United States that deemed them a sovereign nation, in which the government could not force them to sell their land. When the Cherokees refused to sell, Georgia learned that threatening and cruel force would drive away the Cherokees, making the Cherokees "Voiceless and Choiceless", as in objective 2b. Conflicts among the Cherokees themselves arose when a portion of the people considered themselves powerless and had no other choice but to become "advocates of the treaty"(P&G 38). Many Cherokees encountered a troubling decision of whether or not to assimilate or resist, as in objective 4.

A forced assimilation was made in Georgia to "civilize" the Cherokee Indians. There is strong evidence of the Cherokee's adapting well to their newly forced environment. A teacher named Nancy Reed who taught the Cherokees wrote to Reverend Fayette Sheperd and vouched for the Cherokees as being respectful, hardworking, and seemingly learning a great deal. Reed concludes the Cherokees were polite and grateful to be in school. She notes answers to questions after she asks the Cherokees about their possible removal. The Cherokees answer: "if the white people want more land let them go back to the country they came from", and, "they have got more land then they use, what do they want to get ours for?" (Perdue & Green 48).  These answers about the invasion of territory from the Cherokee people are an introduction to their soon to be involuntary participation, as in objective 1a.

A letter written by Zillah Haynie Brandon, a white woman who moved into a Cherokee cabin with her family, told that the Cherokee men were rude and cruel, especially when they drank and this was often. She also states that the women were cruel and the men were not, (notice this is a contradictory within herself), and that she and her family feared them. Brandon's conflicting evidence excludes her argument. The letters by Reed and Brandon provide evidence that the "Trail of Tears" could have been avoided all together.  New Americans named Worchester and Penn tried hard to justify the Cherokee Removal as unlawful and unconstitutional, but men like Lewis Cass convinced the federal government that the Cherokees were not civilized and a threat to the new American civilization. As a result of false accusations, Georgia created the Indian Removal Act of 1830. President Andrew Jackson then presented his State of the Union Address, which led to the "Trail of Tears" after the attempts to debate it were defeated.

"The Trail of Tears" is often associated with only the Cherokee tribe though many tribes were forced to participate in this horrific event. Such tribes consisted of "18,000 Cherokee, Muskogee, and hundreds of other Indians from the Southeast to Oklahoma" (Deschenie 1). Kathryn, a Native American and Mescalero Apache descendent states, "My great grandfather was with Geronimo when they, the US Indian Affairs Agency, sent him to Florida and then he marched the Apaches down the "Trail of Tears" where 8 out of 10 died."  The "Trail of Tears" is a physical example of objective 1a, involuntary participation, otherwise known as "The American Nightmare". There may not be a better physical example of involuntary participation, other than the "Trail of Tears", in history. When researched, the "Trial of Tears" has been used to describe other horrible events such as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  The "Trail of Tears" may be viewed as the loss of all land, dignity, and assistance. When asked about this horrific event, TJ James, a descendent of the Hunkpappe Sioux tribe states, "I believe that Americans did not treat the Native Indians in the right manner at all. The Americans basically only wanted to get rid of the Native Indians so they could build and have the rights to all of the land available". Several decades later, TJ James feels the same way as Nancy Reed's Cherokee students. Though the Cherokee students were voiceless and forced to relocate during the 1800s, most with new identities.

A census bureau taken from of the Native Americans provides confusing information because certain mixed races are not included.  Georgia had extensive laws concerning the Native American race. A physical example of objective 3b, "Loss and Survival" is shown when the definition of the Cherokee race was labeled as the following: If the mother was a Cherokee, one was considered Cherokee, regardless of any other factor.  If the father was Cherokee and the mother another race, one was possibly considered a "half breed" or "quadroon" and was not included in the census at all.  This census record denied many Cherokee's their right to survive as a Cherokee. However, this loss of the Cherokee race was not an assurance to assimilation.  These census regulations were not permitted to just the Cherokee Tribe. Kathryn, a descendent of Mescalero Apache states that her father "was a 'half-breed' [and] encountered much prejudice in the work place and in school. He worked his way through college and got his MS in Calculus. He was not rewarded for being a minority in any way". The Apache's were labeled according to censes regulations as compared to the Cherokees, demonstrating their loss of race and introducing their identities as "half-breeds".

When researching the Cherokee Removal, much can be documented and learned from their experience, as well as about other Native American Tribes. The Cherokee Indians were a huge focus in the "Trail of Tears" though many other tribes were included in this removal process. Many instances that happened with the Cherokees, concerning their involuntary removal, also occurred with many other tribes. These subjects on the Cherokees, "Trail of Tears", and other tribes may be used to help students understand many objectives and can also assist in reminding students who was first in the involuntary participation process, as African Americans and Mexican Americans are most often attributed first to the class objectives.  Possibly because their involuntary removal occurred the longest ago, Native American history and culture is most forgotten and less attributed to involuntary participation, but is still ranked one of the highest topics of importance in American Minority Literature.

Works Cited

Perdue, Theda and Michael Green, eds. The Cherokee Removal, A Brief History With Documents. Boston: Bedford Books, 1995.

Deschenie, Tina. "Historical Trauma." 2006. Tribal College. Spring 2006. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=21983331&site=ehost-live>

Smith, Kathryn. Telephone Interview. 2 May. 2007.

James, TJ. Telephone Interview. 2 May. 2007.