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  • Essay / The Effects of the Trail of Tears on the Relationship Between Native Americans and Settlers

    The Trail of Tears was an event that forever changed the Native Americans and the relationship with Americans. The Trail of Tears occurred when native people were forced to relocate due to the Indian Removal Act. American President Andrew Jackson created this plan in order to gain more land and achieve Manifest Destiny. In 1830, he signed the Indian Act of Removal, providing authority to relocate Native Americans. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay By the early 1820s, many Native Americans were living throughout America. American settlers desperately wanted this land. They wanted to expand America and be able to occupy the land in order to make money. The Native Americans also seemed strange and different. They had different customs, clothing and food. At first, the goal of the American settlers was to get them to assimilate. In order for the Native Americans to behave and act like the American settlers, they had to threaten the natives. The logic behind this was that the natives would be too afraid to refuse and would eventually become part of the American nation. For the Americans, their goal was to lead them to become one great nation. Many tribes accepted the "civilized" way of life and began to respect these conditions. Tribes among them were the famous Choctaw, Cherokee, Seminole and many others. They began to participate, so that their land would not be confiscated by the settlers. The problem with the Native Americans quickly became a question of their land and not their assimilation. American settlers wanted to inhabit all the land, in order to make money and receive more resources. To get the natives to cede their land to them, relocation was the ideal solution. It was decided that many tribes would have to relocate to specific “Indian Territories.” On the journey to their “territory,” the Native Americans received no food, supplies, or aid from the government. Many indigenous people died from disease, hunger, lack of shelter and protection. This event was called “The Trail of Tears” because it was a journey full of death and tears. The impact that the Trail of Tears left behind was enormous. More than a quarter of all displaced Native Americans died. The little remnant of trust that existed before the event was now shattered. During relocation, Native Americans were deprived of their land, property, and their own identity. For indigenous people, the land they lived in defined them. To the natives, you were part of your land, and your land was part of you. The land represented the Native Americans and had been their home for thousands of years. Being forced to move from their home stripped them of their identity. By forcing them off their land by American settlers, they ultimately destroyed the trust and friendship they had with each other. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay The effect that the Trail of Tears had on relations between Native Americans and settlers was irreversible. The bonds of friendship between them had been forever destroyed. This event killed thousands of Native Americans and left survivors in complete despair. The event left a permanent mark on the relationship between them forever..