The Trail of Tears
President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. This act required all Native Americans to move east of the Mississippi. At this time the Cherokee Nation had an advanced culture with cities and a written constitution. They even had their own newspapers in the Cherokee language.
The reason for this act was the whites in Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Alabama desired the lands of the Cherokee.
The military came into the lands of the Cherokee and forced them to move to Oklahoma. This move become known as the "Trail of Tears". During this move many Indians died from disease, the harsh weather, starvation and attacks by white men. Over 4,000 Cherokee died on the trail to Oklahoma.