Excerpt
Introduction: What Was the Trail of Tears?
The Trail of Tears was the name given to the hard and painful journey that Native American tribes had to walk when they were removed from their homelands in the 1830s. This wasn’t a road trip or a family move to a new house. It was a long, dangerous march that took place after the U.S. government passed a law that said Native people had to leave the land where they had lived for generations. They were told to move far away to an unfamiliar place, and they had to walk most of the way—through forests, across rivers, over mountains, and into territory they had never seen before.
The name Trail of Tears wasn’t something the government called it at the time. That name came later, when people realized how much sadness, sickness, and loss happened during the journey. Families cried as they were taken from their homes. People got sick. Some died along the way. Even though this happened a long time ago, the pain of it is still remembered by the people whose ancestors were forced to go.
You might wonder, why would anyone do this to them? The answer has to do with land—who wanted it, who controlled it, and who had the power to make decisions. The Cherokee, along with other Native tribes like the Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole, lived on land that the U.S. government and white settlers wanted for farming, gold, and growing towns. Instead of working things out fairly, the government made laws to push Native people out. Even when tribes tried to fight back using peaceful ways, it didn’t stop what happened.
When the U.S. army came, they didn’t ask politely. Soldiers marched into villages and forced people to pack up. They didn’t get to take much—just what they could carry. Homes, farms, tools, even sacred places were left behind. Some families were split apart. Some people were put into holding camps before the journey even started.
And then came the walk.
It wasn't just one path. There were many routes, depending on where each group started. Some people went by boat. Others walked through thick mud or snowy forests. They traveled for hundreds of miles. It could take months. Along the way, many became weak from hunger. There weren’t enough supplies. There wasn’t enough medicine. Thousands of people—men, women, children, and elders—did not survive.
But calling it just a sad walk doesn’t explain all of it. The Trail of Tears is also a symbol of how unfairly Native American people were treated. They weren’t just moved—they were pushed out by force, even after they had built schools, farms, and governments of their own. They weren’t given a choice. That’s what made it so heartbreaking.
Even through all of this, many of the tribes did not give up. They held on to their languages, their stories, and their way of life. The Cherokee, for example, rebuilt schools and started printing newspapers again in their new home in what is now Oklahoma. They showed courage, even when everything was taken from them.
Why it’s important to learn this part of history
Sometimes history feels like it happened so long ago that it can’t possibly matter today. The clothes were different, the buildings were smaller, the tools were simpler. It can seem like a completely different world. But some parts of history stay with us, not just because they were big events, but because they help us understand people—how they were treated, what they believed, and what they went through.
The Trail of Tears is one of those stories.
It’s not just important because it happened. It’s important because it tells us something about how people make decisions—and how those decisions affect others. When we learn about the Trail of Tears, we’re not just learning about Native American tribes or the government. We’re learning about promises, fairness, power, and what can happen when those things are not shared equally.
You may have heard people say things like “treat others how you want to be treated.” That idea shows up in classrooms, at home, in games, and even in stories. But it’s not just a nice thing to say. It’s something that matters in real life. When Native families were forced to leave their homes, they weren’t treated with that kind of respect. They weren’t asked what they wanted. Their voices weren’t heard. That’s why this part of history matters. It helps us think about what it means to treat people fairly, especially when we have more power than they do.
If you’ve ever seen someone get picked on at school, or left out of a game, you know how that feels. Even if it wasn’t you, it still doesn’t feel right. Now imagine that on a much bigger scale—when thousands of people are told they don’t belong, or that their homes don’t count. That’s not just mean. That’s a mistake that caused real harm. And if we don’t learn about mistakes, we might make them again.
When you study history like this, it helps you notice patterns. You begin to spot when something isn’t just. You learn to ask questions like: “Is this fair?” “Who is being left out?” “What’s really going on here?” That’s how history turns into something powerful. It gives you tools to speak up—not just for yourself, but for others who may not be heard.
Learning about the Trail of Tears also helps us understand that different people can experience the same event in different ways. Think about a game where one team wins and the other loses. The winning team feels happy, proud, excited. The losing team might feel disappointed or even upset. Now stretch that idea. In history, sometimes one group makes a decision that helps them, but hurts someone else. If we only listen to the side that won, we don’t get the full story. That’s why it’s so important to hear Native voices and learn what they went through.
You might be surprised to know that for a long time, the Trail of Tears wasn’t talked about much in schools. Some history books focused mostly on the presidents and the laws, but skipped over how Native people felt or what happened to them. But every person’s story matters. Every voice adds something new. When we leave people out of history, we don’t just miss their story—we miss the truth.
Even today, Native American communities carry the memories of the Trail of Tears. It didn’t end when the walking stopped. Families still talk about it. Leaders still speak out about it. And kids—just like you—still learn about it. Because when something hurts a group of people that deeply, it doesn’t disappear. It stays, passed down through generations, like a scar that fades but never fully goes away.
That’s another reason this part of history matters. It helps us connect across time. You may not have lived through it, but by learning about it, you’re honoring the people who did. You’re saying, “Your story is worth remembering. You matter.” That’s a powerful thing to do.
It also helps you see the world differently. When you understand that not everyone had an easy path, it opens your eyes to things around you. Maybe you notice that someone in your class has a different background or speaks a different language. Instead of thinking they’re strange, you might think, “They have a story too. I wonder what I could learn from them.”
History isn’t just facts. It’s people’s lives. It’s choices, and struggles, and courage. When we learn about events like the Trail of Tears, we’re learning what happens when people forget to care about others. But we’re also learning what it looks like to survive, to rebuild, and to keep going even when everything feels lost.
The Trail of Tears was the name given to the hard and painful journey that Native American tribes had to walk when they were removed from their homelands in the 1830s. This wasn’t a road trip or a family move to a new house. It was a long, dangerous march that took place after the U.S. government passed a law that said Native people had to leave the land where they had lived for generations. They were told to move far away to an unfamiliar place, and they had to walk most of the way—through forests, across rivers, over mountains, and into territory they had never seen before.
The name Trail of Tears wasn’t something the government called it at the time. That name came later, when people realized how much sadness, sickness, and loss happened during the journey. Families cried as they were taken from their homes. People got sick. Some died along the way. Even though this happened a long time ago, the pain of it is still remembered by the people whose ancestors were forced to go.
You might wonder, why would anyone do this to them? The answer has to do with land—who wanted it, who controlled it, and who had the power to make decisions. The Cherokee, along with other Native tribes like the Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole, lived on land that the U.S. government and white settlers wanted for farming, gold, and growing towns. Instead of working things out fairly, the government made laws to push Native people out. Even when tribes tried to fight back using peaceful ways, it didn’t stop what happened.
When the U.S. army came, they didn’t ask politely. Soldiers marched into villages and forced people to pack up. They didn’t get to take much—just what they could carry. Homes, farms, tools, even sacred places were left behind. Some families were split apart. Some people were put into holding camps before the journey even started.
And then came the walk.
It wasn't just one path. There were many routes, depending on where each group started. Some people went by boat. Others walked through thick mud or snowy forests. They traveled for hundreds of miles. It could take months. Along the way, many became weak from hunger. There weren’t enough supplies. There wasn’t enough medicine. Thousands of people—men, women, children, and elders—did not survive.
But calling it just a sad walk doesn’t explain all of it. The Trail of Tears is also a symbol of how unfairly Native American people were treated. They weren’t just moved—they were pushed out by force, even after they had built schools, farms, and governments of their own. They weren’t given a choice. That’s what made it so heartbreaking.
Even through all of this, many of the tribes did not give up. They held on to their languages, their stories, and their way of life. The Cherokee, for example, rebuilt schools and started printing newspapers again in their new home in what is now Oklahoma. They showed courage, even when everything was taken from them.
Why it’s important to learn this part of history
Sometimes history feels like it happened so long ago that it can’t possibly matter today. The clothes were different, the buildings were smaller, the tools were simpler. It can seem like a completely different world. But some parts of history stay with us, not just because they were big events, but because they help us understand people—how they were treated, what they believed, and what they went through.
The Trail of Tears is one of those stories.
It’s not just important because it happened. It’s important because it tells us something about how people make decisions—and how those decisions affect others. When we learn about the Trail of Tears, we’re not just learning about Native American tribes or the government. We’re learning about promises, fairness, power, and what can happen when those things are not shared equally.
You may have heard people say things like “treat others how you want to be treated.” That idea shows up in classrooms, at home, in games, and even in stories. But it’s not just a nice thing to say. It’s something that matters in real life. When Native families were forced to leave their homes, they weren’t treated with that kind of respect. They weren’t asked what they wanted. Their voices weren’t heard. That’s why this part of history matters. It helps us think about what it means to treat people fairly, especially when we have more power than they do.
If you’ve ever seen someone get picked on at school, or left out of a game, you know how that feels. Even if it wasn’t you, it still doesn’t feel right. Now imagine that on a much bigger scale—when thousands of people are told they don’t belong, or that their homes don’t count. That’s not just mean. That’s a mistake that caused real harm. And if we don’t learn about mistakes, we might make them again.
When you study history like this, it helps you notice patterns. You begin to spot when something isn’t just. You learn to ask questions like: “Is this fair?” “Who is being left out?” “What’s really going on here?” That’s how history turns into something powerful. It gives you tools to speak up—not just for yourself, but for others who may not be heard.
Learning about the Trail of Tears also helps us understand that different people can experience the same event in different ways. Think about a game where one team wins and the other loses. The winning team feels happy, proud, excited. The losing team might feel disappointed or even upset. Now stretch that idea. In history, sometimes one group makes a decision that helps them, but hurts someone else. If we only listen to the side that won, we don’t get the full story. That’s why it’s so important to hear Native voices and learn what they went through.
You might be surprised to know that for a long time, the Trail of Tears wasn’t talked about much in schools. Some history books focused mostly on the presidents and the laws, but skipped over how Native people felt or what happened to them. But every person’s story matters. Every voice adds something new. When we leave people out of history, we don’t just miss their story—we miss the truth.
Even today, Native American communities carry the memories of the Trail of Tears. It didn’t end when the walking stopped. Families still talk about it. Leaders still speak out about it. And kids—just like you—still learn about it. Because when something hurts a group of people that deeply, it doesn’t disappear. It stays, passed down through generations, like a scar that fades but never fully goes away.
That’s another reason this part of history matters. It helps us connect across time. You may not have lived through it, but by learning about it, you’re honoring the people who did. You’re saying, “Your story is worth remembering. You matter.” That’s a powerful thing to do.
It also helps you see the world differently. When you understand that not everyone had an easy path, it opens your eyes to things around you. Maybe you notice that someone in your class has a different background or speaks a different language. Instead of thinking they’re strange, you might think, “They have a story too. I wonder what I could learn from them.”
History isn’t just facts. It’s people’s lives. It’s choices, and struggles, and courage. When we learn about events like the Trail of Tears, we’re learning what happens when people forget to care about others. But we’re also learning what it looks like to survive, to rebuild, and to keep going even when everything feels lost.