The First Trail of Tears, Remembered
What the phrase “Trail of Tears” names
The phrase refers to multiple forced removals of Indigenous nations from their homelands in the Southeast to lands west of the Mississippi in the 1830s and 1840s, including the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw. Oklahoma Historical Society | OHS
Policy and pressure
Congress passed the Indian Removal Act on May 28, 1830. The law empowered the President to negotiate removal treaties with tribes east of the Mississippi, setting federal force behind dispossession and relocation. National ArchivesPieces of History
The first large removal: Choctaw, 1831
The Choctaw were the first of the southeastern nations to be removed under the Act, beginning in 1831. Thousands died from starvation, exposure, and disease on the more than 500-mile journey, a suffering remembered as “a trail of tears and death.” National Library of MedicineHISTORY
Today, the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma traces this removal history and its continuing remembrance practices. National Park ServiceChoctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Other nations forced west
Between 1830 and 1850, about 100,000 Indigenous people across the region were driven west by coerced treaties and military force. The Muscogee (Creek), Chickasaw, and Seminole endured removals marked by chains, illness, and high mortality; estimates for the Creeks alone are in the thousands. National Park Service
Cherokee removal, 1838–1839
In 1838, U.S. troops under Gen. Winfield Scott forced more than 16,000 Cherokee from their homes into camps and then west in 17 detachments along land and water routes. Contemporary accounts estimate that about 4,000 Cherokee died during the ordeal. Today the National Park Service marks roughly 2,200 miles of routes across nine states. National Park Service+3National Park Service+3National Park Service+3
Memory and survivance
The story is preserved and taught by tribal nations and museums. The National Museum of the American Indian offers classroom resources centered on Cherokee perspectives and resistance, while the Cherokee Nation’s Remember the Removal program keeps routes and stories alive for new generations. National Museum of the American Indian+1Cherokee Nation Website
Where to learn more
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail (NPS): history, maps, and route sites. National Park Service
NMAI resources: exhibitions and lessons on removal and Cherokee resilience. National Museum of the American Indian+1
Cherokee Nation history and memorial rides: community remembrance and education. Cherokee Nation Website+1
Read Part 1: The River That Remembers to experience the TSG mythic retelling that honors this history through the river’s guarded “Way Home.”
