Many horrible events have occurred throughout the history of the United States, in my opinion the most tragic of all was the Trail of Tears. Also known as the Indian Removal Act, it took place in the early 1800s. In the eyes of many white settlers and their representatives, the expulsion of the Native Indians was a necessity for territorial expansion and a way to exploit the vast mineral resources and forestry. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay European and American settlement from 1600 to 1800 greatly expanded the boundaries of Indian territories further inland. Territorial expansions in the United States were normally supported by many different treaties, laws, and legal rulings, which effectively supported the expansions. Even in 1780, the United States Constitution already contained articles granting Congress and the President full control of all Indian affairs. This essentially indicated that each of the states was exposed to federal agreements in dealing with local tribes. (Marsico, 2010, p. 20) During this time, Georgia was managing factors to eradicate the Cherokee Nation. Congress then passed the Indian Removal Act. Andrew Jackson was the one who signed the act and made it law on May 28, 1830. “This act granted executive authority to negotiate land exchange treaties with native nations residing within the borders of the United States. Cooperating nations would receive western lands in exchange for ceding their territory. Thus was born the “Indian Territory” in present-day Oklahoma”. (Sturgis, 2007, p. 37) Despite the fact that the Indian Removal Act contained parts explaining the protection on tribes subject to removal, it was executed without this part being enforced. Americans who thought this would actually benefit the Indians and protect them from the possibility of extinction were actually for it. However, it also raised a lot of controversy in many organisations, especially those in the North East who were against the legislation. Some statesmen and senators were also against the idea of ​​removal. Senator Theodore Frelinghuysen (of New Jersey) was one of the most vocal opponents: "We have crowded the tribes onto a few miserable acres on our southern frontier," he proclaimed. (Bowes, 2009, p. 19) Despite the efforts of those against it, the establishment of the Indian Removal Act throughout the House of Representatives had secured passage by a vote of 102 to 97. In the 1820s , many of the Choctaws traveled west of the Mississippi. However, many of the others were unwilling to leave their sacred homeland. One of the reasons why some Indians had left voluntarily was the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek which was signed between the Choctaws and government representatives and Secretary of War John Eaton, on September 27, 1830. This treaty was seen as one of the most large land transfers between the U.S. government and Native Americans. This represented the first removal treaty enforced under the Indian Removal Act. The Choctaw had ceded eleven million acres of their homeland in exchange for fifteen million acres that were in Indian Territory. Congress ratified the Treaty in 1831. It contained a portion applicable to those who remained to obtain U.S. citizenship. Approximately 1,300 Choctaws, who decided to remain in the state of Mississippi, became citizens of the United States. An estimated 15,000 Choctaws left and got their new homes in Indian Territory, AKA Oklahoma. Through the Curtis Act, their government was dissolved, as it wasessential to recognizing Oklahoma's statehood. Furthermore, the Choctaw ended up splitting into two separate groups: the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw. Indians who gained federal recognition in 1945. In just four weeks, between May and June, four military operations were carried out (Georgia , Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama). Almost exactly 17,000 Cherokees were rounded up at gunpoint, taken away, and transferred to various containment camps made specifically for Cherokee prisoners. It has been proven that these camps do not even have basic sanitation facilities for the prisoners living there. These roundups were carried out to catch the Cherokee Indians by surprise. Most families were separated, husbands took wives and children, and many were left with only the clothes on their backs and all other possessions abandoned. “John G. Burnett, a soldier involved in the roundup, described the operation: “The men working in the fields were arrested and taken to the stockades. Women were dragged from their homes by soldiers whose language they could not understand. Children were often separated from their parents and brought inside the fences with the sky for a blanket and the earth for a pillow...” (Sturgis, 2007, p. 58) The first departure westward occurred in the spring of 1838 and lasted until the summer. The initial groups marched the 800-mile route. The intense heat was too much for most of the children and elderly people to bear. The second departure occurred in the autumn and winter of 1838-1839. Unlike the first departure which took place in scorching heat, the second went through the rainy season and for this reason the wagons ended up sinking in the mud and with freezing temperatures and snow, the journey was even more difficult to bear. Countless things must be taken into account when considering Cherokee deaths, from disease, food shortages, and weather conditions to the simple failure of American troops to protect the Cherokees from robber attacks. At first, the Cherokee were loaded onto steamboats, and taken down the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers to the Mississippi, once they arrived they were forced to take the footpaths to the Indian Territories. Thousands of Cherokees were taken away, just as expected. Since this departure began in the hottest season, due to disease, the number of deaths was disturbing. The Cherokee National Council, along with other leaders, made a proposal to General Scott to postpone the removal of the Cherokees until the fall, when the weather would be calmer, to avoid so many deaths. “The request was granted, and in October 1838, the Cherokee began moving away, mostly overland, in 13 recorded parties of about 1,000 people each.” (Thornton, 1987, p. 117) The first and second departures, combined with the miserable conditions of the internment camps, resulted in the deaths of nearly 4,000 Cherokees, or a quarter of their population. The number of deaths continued to increase with the arrival of the Cherokees in Indian Territory, due to disease and the continued lack of food. Other southeastern tribes, notably the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole, shared the same fate as the Cherokee. Indian Territory was intended to be a permanent homeland for many tribes. In 1854, northern Indian Territory included the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, both later recognized as states. From 1866 onward, the tribes that remained in those regions were moved south, supposedly reserved for the tribes of the southeast, i.e. the "Five Civilized Tribes". In 1880 the appearance of the Boomers followed and the Indian reservations returned to.