President Andrew Jackson The Trail of Tears

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President Andrew JacksonThe Trail of Tears

• Pages 439-443
• Workbook pg. 78

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The First Tennessee President

• On March 4, 1829, Andrew Jackson took the oath of
  office and became the seventh President of the
  United States.
• President Jackson had been given the nickname
  Old Hickory.
• He earned the nickname while he was a soldier.
  Many said he was tough as hickory.

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President Jackson

• The election that made Jackson President was the
  first in which all white men could vote.
• Before that time, voting was reserved for only
  white men who owned land.
• Many of the new voters chose Jackson because they
  felt he was a common man like them.

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New States for the Union

• The Union had grown from the original 13 states
  to 24 states.
• Vermont, Maine, Kentucky, and Tennessee had
  become states.
• Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana formed states from
  the Northwest Territory.
• Louisiana and Missouri had been formed from the
  Louisiana Purchase.
• Mississippi, Alabama, were added to the Union and
  Florida was a territory.

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Indian Removal of 1830

• In 1830 Congress passed the Indian Removal Act.
  This law said that all Indians living east of the
  Mississippi River must leave their lands and move
  to Indian Territory. (Current day Oklahoma)
• President Jackson signed the law and ordered the
  Choctaws, Creeks, Seminoles, Chickasaws,
  Cherokees, and other tribes to leave their lands.

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The Fight Against Removal

• Many tribes fought against removal.
• The Seminoles of Florida with the help of runaway
  slaves struggled to keep their land.
• Many of the Seminoles were either killed or
  forced to leave their homes.

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The Cherokee Nation

• The 15,000 Cherokees made up one of the richest
  tribes in the U.S.
• Many Cherokees owned small farms, and a few had
  large plantations where Africans were enslaved.
• They had their own government with a Constitution
  and elected leaders.
• Gold was discovered on Cherokee lands in 1829.
  Settlers poured in to stake their claims.

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Cherokees Fight Removal

• The Cherokee nation, led by Chief John Ross,
  fought back in the U.S. courts.
• Their case went all the way to the Supreme Court.
• In 1832, Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that
  the U.S. should protect the Cherokees and their
  land in Georgia.

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Jacksons Response

• Instead of supporting the court ruling, President
  Jackson ignored it.
• President Jackson sent soldiers to remove the
  Cherokees to the Indian Territory.
• By late 1838, soldiers had forced the last group
  of Cherokees to leave their lands.
• Their journey to the Indian Territory became
  known as the Trail of Tears.

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Trail of Tears A 116 Day Journey

• The Cherokees traveled more than 800 miles
  through North Carolina and Georgia through
  Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and
  Arkansas.
• The journey ended on March 26, 1839.
• More than 4,000 Cherokees had died of cold,
  disease, and lack of food during the 116-day
  journey.

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Indian Territory
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Workbook Page 78
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Important Dates

• 1791 The United States government agrees to
  accept the independence of the Cherokee nation.
• 1829 Gold is discovered on Cherokee lands
  settlers pour in to stake their claims.

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Important Dates

• 1829 Andrew Jackson becomes the seventh
  President of the United States.
• 1830 Congress passes the Indian Removal Act,
  forcing all Indians living east of the
  Mississippi River to move to the Indian
  Territory.

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Important Dates

• 1832 Chief Justice John Marshall gives the
  Courts ruling that the United States should
  protect the Cherokees and their lands in Georgia,
  but President Jackson ignores the ruling.

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Important Dates

• 1838 A large group of Cherokees begin the
  journey that has come to be known as the Trail of
  Tears more than 4,000 Cherokees die.