UCLA W12 Perspectives on The Removal of The Cherokees Discussion

Topic

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was the result of the U.S. government’s long-standing commitment to persuading Native Americans to move across the Mississippi River. The Cherokees were removed in 1838-1839 from Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina as part of the Trail of Tears. The majority of Cherokees, led by Chief John Ross, were vehemently opposed to moving, but Major Ridge, a prominent Cherokee Chief, along with his son, John Ridge, felt that such a move was inevitable and led the negotiation of the Treaty of New Echota with the U.S. government.

For two different viewpoints of the subject, read “John Ridge on Cherokee Removal” by John Ridge and “Story of the Removal of the Cherokees” by John G. Burnett. These two primary sources can be found below:

• John Ridge on Cherokee Removal
• Story of the Removal of the Cherokees
• To complete your discussion assignment, please consider these two viewpoints and address the following in two paragraphs:
  • Why do you think each author has a different viewpoint?
    • What from their background, relationship to the Cherokees, and motivation for writing their accounts, would create their biases?
  • Note the time of year that the Cherokees in Ridge’s account left to travel west and compare it to the timeframe in Burnett’s account.
    • Do you believe their views would be different if each group traveled at a different time of the year?
    • How might they be different from what they are now?
    • How would they be the same?