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Trail of Tears
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History & Society

Trail of Tears

United States history
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Last Updated: • Article History
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
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Category: History & Society
Date:
c. 1830 - 1840
Location:
Indian Territory
United States
Participants:
Cherokee
Chickasaw
Choctaw
Creek
Southeast Indian
Eastern Woodlands Indians
Context:
Indian Removal Act
Seminole Wars
Proclamation of 1763
Key People:
Black Hawk
John Ross
Winfield Scott
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Top Questions

What was the Trail of Tears?

What routes were used as part of the Trail of Tears?

How many people died as a result of the Trail of Tears?

Trail of Tears, in U.S. history, the forced relocation during the 1830s of Eastern Woodlands Indians of the Southeast region of the United States (including Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole, among other nations) to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Estimates based on tribal and military records suggest that approximately 100,000 indigenous people were forced from their homes during that period, which is sometimes known as the removal era, and that some 15,000 died during the journey west. The term Trail of Tears invokes the collective suffering those people experienced, although it is most commonly used in reference ...(100 of 1187 words)

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