CHEROKEE VS. JACKSON

THE FIRST TENNESSEE PRESIDENT

• On March 4, 1829, Andrew Jackson took the oath of office and became the 7th president of the US
• He had been given the nickname “old hickory”
• He got the nickname while he was a solider

The election that made Jackson President was the first in which all white men could vote

INDIAN REMOVAL ACT

• In 1830 congress passed the Indian Removal Act. This law said that all Indians living east of the Mississippi River must leave their lands and move to Indian territory
• President jackson signed the law

THE CHEROKEE NATION

• The 15,000 Cherokee made up one of the richest tribes in the US
• Many owned small farms and a few had large plantations where Africans were enslaved
• They had their own government with a constitution and elected leaders
• Gold was discovered on Cherokee lands in 1829. Settlers poured in to stake their claims

THE CHEROKEE FIGHT REMOVAL

• The Cherokee nation, led by chief John Ross, fought back in the US courts
• Their case went all the way to the Supreme Court
• In 1832, chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the US should protect the cherokees and their land in Georgia

JACKSON’S RESPONSE

• Instead of supporting the court ruling, president Jackson ignored it
• Jackson sent soldiers to remove the Cherokees to the Indian Territory
• By 1838 soldiers had forced the last group of cherokees to leave their land
• Their journey to the Indian territory became known as the Trail of Tears.

TRAIL OF TEARS

• A 116 day journey
• The Cherokee traveled more than 800 miles through North Carolina and Georgia through Tennessee, Kentucky,Illinois,Missouri, and Arkansas
• The journey ended on march 26, 1839.
• More than 4000 Cherokee had died of cold, disease and lack of food during the 116 day journey