Trail of Tears

Definition

The Trail of Tears refers to the forced relocation of several Native American tribes, including the Cherokee Nation, from their ancestral lands in the Southern United States to designated Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) in the 1830s.

Analogy

Imagine being forcefully uprooted from your childhood home and moved to a completely unfamiliar neighborhood without any say or choice. That's what happened to the Native American tribes during the Trail of Tears.

Related terms

Indian Removal Act: A law passed by President Andrew Jackson in 1830 that authorized the forced removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands.

Andrew Jackson: The seventh president of the United States who played a significant role in implementing and enforcing the Indian Removal Act.

Worcester v. Georgia: A Supreme Court case in 1832 where Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that Georgia had no authority over Cherokee territory, but it was ultimately ignored by President Jackson.