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Dec 3, 1540
Exploration of Cherokee Territory
Hernando De Soto, a Spanish explorer, explored Cherokee territory, opening the door for white settlers to follow (Burt 180).
Photograph: Hernando De Soto courtesy of Library of Congress -
Period: Dec 3, 1540 to
Trail of Tears
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Discovery of Gold
Gold was found in Cherokee territory, causing their territory to be overrun with bandits that drove inhabitants from their homes (Burnett).
Photograph: Georgia gold rush 1830 courtesy of Georgia Studies Images -
Indian Removal Act
President Andrew Jackson introduced the Indian Removal Act, which Congress passed on May 28, 1830. It stated that, nations of Indians could choose to exchange the land where they reside for more land in the west (Congress).
Photograph: Land grant signed by Andrew Jackson courtesy of Nate D. Sanders -
Cherokee Nation v. State of Georgia
The Cherokees appealed their case to the Supreme court in 1831. They wanted to save themselves from removal through a legal stand.
Photograph: Title page of the Cherokee Nation case against the state of Georgia courtesy of the Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes -
Treaty of Echota
The treaty of Echota provided legal bases for the Cherokee's invoulntary removal. It ceeded Cherokee land to Georgia for compensation ("Treaty of Echota").
Photograph: Treaty of Echota courtesy of the Native American Experience. -
It Begins
The United States army of seven thousand stomped onto Indian country. They took more than fourteen thousand Cherokees from their home (Burnett). Once loaded into wagons they bagan their journey west, therefore marking the begining of the trail of tears.
Photograph: “The Trail of Tears,” oil painting by Max D. Standley. -
The End had Come
After three to five long months, the last of the thriteen parties finally reached Indian Territory (Burnett).
Photograph: "Nightfall on the Trail of Tears" by: Max D. Standley
