Trail of Tears, Indians.

Essay by bucs111Junior High, 8th grade November 2003

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The first problem that happened among the Cherokee Indians and the United States was a treaty that said that the Cherokees owned land in four US states, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The white settlers who lived in these areas did not like the Cherokees living with them and complained to the US government to have the Cherokee Indians forced to different lands.

Some Indians moved to Texas and Arizona, but most were determined to live on their ancestor's land. The white settlers were just as determined to kick them off the land. The US government offered to buy land from the Cherokees, but the Cherokees refused.

A majority of the Cherokees lived in Georgia and the US settlers had found an excuse to kick them off their land by saying that the Indians were breaking a law of creating a state inside another state. Georgia settlers began forcing Cherokee Indians off their land and a special police force called the Georgia guard was formed to punish the Cherokee Indians who resisted.

The Indians looked to the US government for help, but didn't receive any. President Andrew Jackson supported the Georgians and told the Cherokees that if they didn't like the way it was, then they should move west. Scared about what was going to happen, the Indians began to fight amongst themselves.

One party of the Cherokee Indians wanted to keep peace with the Whites and was willing to do what the US government told them to do. Another party did not want to do what the US government wanted them to do and was willing to fight the US government. In December of 1835 about 100 members sign a peace treaty for relocation, however 15,000 Cherokees signed a petition saying that they disagreed with...