The Trail of Tears | History In A Nutshell

Join our cartoon avatar host as he takes viewers through a brief expose on the events leading up to the forced removal of Native American tribes from the eastern United States. After the American Revolutionary War, an experiment in "civilization" was implemented so that American Indians could peacefully coexist with neighboring White settlers. As more settlers arrived in the U.S. in the early 1800's, more room was demanded from the Native Americans. Despite opposition to the Indian Removal Act initiated by President Andrew Jackson, Native Americans would eventually be forcibly moved from the eastern U.S. and placed in the "designated Indian territory" west of the Mississippi River. This forced transfer, known today as the "Trail of Tears" remains one of the most controversial subjects in American history. 

This video contains subject matter which some viewers may find controversial.

Standards

• 4.3.CO Compare the motivations for and reactions to various expeditions into the Western territories.
• This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into how land acquisition and the resulting border changes of the U.S. impacted the people of the western territories prior to Westward Expansion.
  • 4.3.CE Analyze the effects of government policies in promoting United States territorial expansion into the west.
  • 4.3.P Analyze the role of technology and the environmental impact during the period of Westward Expansion.
  • 4.3.CC Recognize patterns of continuity and change in the experiences of Native Americans and Spanish-speaking people as the U.S. expanded westward.
  • 4.3.E Analyze multiple perspectives of early westward expansion, including the addition of slave and free territories and states.
• This indicator was developed to promote inquiry into why and how various peoples immigrated to the U.S. Furthermore, this indicator was designed to promote inquiry into how these immigrant cultures influenced American culture and society.
  • 5.1.E Analyze multiple perspectives on the economic, political, and social effects of western expansion, the Industrial Revolution, and immigration through primary and secondary sources, and evaluate the subsequent changes to the U.S.
• This indicator was designed to encourage inquiry into the continuities and changes of the experiences of marginalized groups such as African Americans, Native Americans and women, as the U.S. expanded westward and grappled with the development of new states.
  • 8.3.CC Analyze debates and efforts to recognize the natural rights of marginalized groups during the period of expansion and sectionalism.
• USHC.1.CC Analyze the processes of continuity and change in the debates over the proper role of the central government and neutrality in foreign affairs from 1789–1815.
• This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the growth, decline, and legacy of the Populist Party. This indicator supports inquiry into the multifaceted objectives of the Progressive Movement, including political and social reforms, which influenced both political parties of the period and resulted in lasting legislation.
  • USHC.3.P Examine the relationship between the expanding corporate economy and American government during the period 1862–1924.
• USHC.3.CC Analyze significant developments in the settlement of the frontier between 1862–1924.