In 1838 And 1839, As Part Of President Andrew ...

In 1838 and 1839, as part of President Andrew Jackson’s Indian removal policy, the Cherokee nation was forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. They were driven from their homes, herded into internment camps, and moved by force to this new and strange land.

The Cherokee people called this journey the “Trail of Tears,” because of its devastating effects. They faced hunger, disease, and exhaustion on the forced march. Over 4,000 out of 15,000 of the Cherokees died.

Davy Crockett, a Tennessee Congressman at the time, opposed this Indian removal policy, and his disapproval ultimately played a critical role that destroyed his political career. He left Washington D.C., and came to Texas. We know the end of that story.