Trail of Tears

Watching OUTLANDER reminds me of the removal of the Cherokee from the southeastern US to Oklahoma. Andrew Jackson was the engine behind the clearances that opened up part of the states of Tenn, NC and SC to settlers. The Cherokee were simply in the way so the entire nation was force marched to new territory in the late 1830s. Ironic since the Cherokee had an alphabet and written language, lived in 2 story homes, adopted many of the "white ways", and were known as one of the "civilized tribes". Their communal farmlands were admired by visitors, and they were generally a peaceful tribe. If you want to see a full blooded Cherokee, Wes Studi is a good representation. He was Magwa in Last of the Mohicans, and Geronimo in a recent film. In teaching US History, the Cherokee story, the Osage disaster, and the fates of many other tribes present a challenge, and a lesson.