Trail Of Tears Thesis

Background Information and Thesis
When America was still in its early years of being an independent nation, Native Americans had a socioeconomic status that could be described as almost nonexistent because it was so low. The American government toyed with the Indians like puppets for years as the country expanded west, and eventually forcibly secured them in federally controlled reservations under the guise of protecting them. By the middle of the nineteenth century, all Native American tribes resided west of the Mississippi River on reserves due to the Indian Removal Act signed in 1830 (Editors). Because the early government of the United States refused to compromise on the rights of Native Americans, an 1879 court case in Nebraska brought

For decades, the relationship between Indians and the government had been strained at best. The government didn’t view Indians as human beings, which, in turn, allowed them to simply relocate the tribes whenever they pleased -- even against their will if necessary -- without argument or a single consequence. One of the most well-known relocations the Native Americans endured was the Trail of Tears. It began with former president Andrew Jackson signing the Indian Removal Act on May 28, 1830, which stated that the president could force the Native Americans to move to government-run reservations in a more isolated area where there were fewer American citizens. The Native Americans from the northern states of America took the Trail of Tears path as they walked to Oklahoma and other southern states where the

He looked into his father’s eyes and pleaded that his remains be buried among those of his ancestors in the sacred Ponca burial ground in the White Chalk Bluffs of North Dakota, where the remains of many Ponca tribe members lay. In the Ponca culture, if your remains were not buried with those of your deceased tribe members, you would forever wander alone in the afterlife. Standing Bear decided that, no matter how difficult it would prove to be to fulfil his son’s dying wish, he would not allow Bear Shield to wander alone.
In addition to the logistical challenges of making such a long trek, the Ponca members were further hampered by the conditions of the Indian Removal Act. The group did not have permission to leave their reservation, which meant by leaving, they were breaking the law and could be arrested at any time. Despite this, Standing Bear gathered men and women of his tribe after his son’s passing and, together, about thirty members of the Ponca tribe began their march to fulfill Bear Shield’s request.
The Second