Trail of Tears

History
In 1830 the United States Congress passed the "Indian Removal Act of 1830". The removal (ethnic cleansing) was intended to move Indians of the Muscogee (Creek), Chickasaw, Cherokee, Seminole, and Choctaw nations from their communally owned tribal homelands in the South Eastern United States to areas that had been designated as Indian Territory in what is now eastern Oklahoma. Other small bands of Indians were also moved along with both Jewish and Christian Americans of European descent, slaves, and African American freedmen. Native Americans and freedmen who owned private, individually owned lands were not subject to the Removal Act.

Historical Data
The removals constituted forced migration and the nations being moved walked most of the way to the newly named Indian Territories. The Choctaw peoples were removed first beginning in 1831 followed by the Seminole in 1832, the Muscogees (Creek) in 1834, Chickasaw in 1837 and lastly the Cherokee in 1838. Forty six thousand Native Americans had been moved from their homelands by 1838. Thousands of them died along the way of exposure, starvation and disease. It is believed that some tribes lost as many as 12 to 30% of their people on the trail. The removal of the native Americans from these areas opened up 25 million acres to white settlers.

Migration Trails
In 1987, over 2,100 miles of the original trails were named the "Trail of Tears National Historic Trail" by Federal Law. The trail crosses rivers, waterways and portions of nine states.