Question answered by Sarah Houston, Managing Director of Student Programs at PTPI.
7. With little time for the Cherokee to plan and prepare, they were removed from their homelands to Oklahoma. It is estimated that approximately 17,000 Cherokee were forced to make this mass migration. Did the government take into account all of the arrangements that would need to be made to move this many people safely and smoothly? If you were given a short amount of time to leave your home and move to an unknown place, how would you feel? What would you take with you?
When General Scott made the announcement to the Cherokees in 1838 that “every Cherokee man, woman and child…must be in motion to join their brethren in the far West,” troops started immediately moving them into what was described as stockades. Essentially, they were treated as prisoners and most were forcibly removed from their houses with no time to pack their things. The government, it seemed, really did not plan for the move, nor did they seem like they cared. They just wanted the Cherokee moved as quickly as possible. What occurred because of this was horrible sanitation, and extremely limited food, medicine, and water. The tragic end result was that nearly one fifth of the Cherokee population died, mostly due to disease.
If I were in a situation where I was given a short amount of time to leave my house and move to an unknown place, I’m sure I would feel a mix of emotions: fear, sadness, and anger. I would try to take those things that mean the most to me, such as my dogs (hopefully), some pictures of family and friends. I would definitely concentrate on taking necessities in order to survive: clothes, food, water, some sort of shelter (tent?), soap, etc. You could never know or anticipate what you might need, however. It would be a very unsettling and extremely upsetting experience.
The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of People to People International or that of PTPI’s Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.
Tags: Cherokee Nation, Global Book Club, John Ehle, Trail of Tears
I cannot even begin to understand how the Cherokee people felt whenever they were removed from their homes and forced to migrate to Oklahoma. To leave everything that you have ever known would be devastating. To have people that you know very little about force you to move to an unknown land would be very terrifying. What would I take? How would I react? These are all questions that I have a hard time answering because this was such a complicated situation. My first priority would be to stay with my family by whatever means possible. This situation would be horrible even with a support system and people who are concerned about your survival but to go along the trail alone would be even harder. As far as physical belongings go, I would want to take clothing, basic hygeine supplies, some type of shelter, and my Bible. I think it would be important to maintain your faith throughout this experience because that is something that is very important to me. Some of the feelings that I would be having are: fear, anger, sadness, and anxiety. To have those around you dying from disease or lack of proper nutrition would be a very hard situation to be placed in. I would question whether or not that would happen to me or my family. I would also want to do anything I could to help the survival of those around me; however, I think that my natural survival instincts would kick in. This would be such a hard situation to live through.
Throughout my time in school I had heard a lot about the mass migration of the Indians, and the Trail of Tears. Reading this book, however, has given me more insight and knowledge about the subject that I had imagined. It becomes clear when reading that the government was not really prepared to move that many people and they had not taken into consideration all that would be needed for the move. One section of the book that was particularly striking, and demonstrates how horrific life was for the Indians that were being forcibly moved, was when the Ehle writes “the dead numbered in scored. Burials became an everyday occurrence” (144). The author also points out that many times the Indians refused the treatment that was being offered to them. While it may seem that by refusing treatment that they were the cause of their own death, however, it is difficult to consider how one would feel if one were placed in that situation. The Indians were forcibly being moved, and I am sure that their trust for the government was minimal, or non-existent, which I am sure contributed to their refusal of treatment.
I cannot even begin to imagine what I would do if I were placed in a situation like that of the Indians. I have always lived in the same community for my entire life, and recently my husband got a new job and we have to move about two hours away. This is in no way similar to what the Indians experienced, but I know that I feel confused about what my life is going to be like in this new place, and I wonder how I am going to make it without the support system of my family and friends. I know that if I were being forcibly moved these feelings would only be intensified, additionally, I would have feelings of resentment and anger. I am not certain what all I would take with me. My first concern would be to make sure that I was able to stick with my family throughout the travel. Then I would be concerned about taking the things necessary to live anywhere (clothes, basic hygiene supplies, basic cookware). I would also want to have protection such as a weapon of some type. I would additionally want to have a few personal things such as pictures, my marriage license, and my Bible.
No, the government didn’t care about the safety or well-being of the Cherokees. Selfishly, they just wanted them out.
If I was forcibly moved out of my home I would be very angry, nervous, and stressed. If I were only given a short time to move out I would take everything I thought would keep me alive. Not knowing where this location was that I was moving to, I would grab all the belongings that meant the most to me. This would consist of photos, music, and my inhaler! Then, I would grab some necessities like food, water, and clothing. It would be difficult having to leave everything behind. For the Cherokees, it was an unfair and anguishing thing the government put them through. If they were going to force them out, they could have at least prepared them for the move.
If I had to leave my home on short notice, I think I would be in such distress that it would be hard to focus on what necessities were the most important. The first things that come to my mind are my purse, phone, tennis shoes and photos – these are the things I grab when tornado sirens sound in my neighborhood. If I had time to plan, the list would be much longer. Unfortunately for the Cherokee Nation, they were lied to about the way in which they would move, and the government never prepared the way you would if it were your own life depending on it.
No the Govt. did not care about the’ MOVE’ forget about considering whether it was safe or not. Govt. just wanted Cherokees to move west and that was that.
This is no comparison to Cherokees move. When I decided to move to USA, first time I did not know what all I needed to take with me. I was utterly confused, nervous and scared about the unknown territory. After al coming to USA was my decision and nobody asked or forced me to do so. I had all the time in the world to decide what to pack. Inspite of all the advantages I had I was a wreck. I can only sympathize with the Cherokees. I certainly would not know what to take with me in such a short notice to an unknown place with weight being limited. I will be angry, emotional, cry through all this and probably take NOTHING and die on the way feeling that my life is not worth living any more.