My name is Galilahi Pascal. I am thirteen years, and I live in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I am the great, great granddaughter of Marcia Pascal. My heritage is Cherokee, a Native American tribe. I always thought the US government was fair and treated people equally even if they are of different heritage. But I was wrong.
Today in social studies we learned about the Native American Removal, and the Trail of Tears. In order to expand their cotton field’s the settlers of the U.S. pressured the government the move the Natives out of the south. Andrew Jackson agreed with the settlers and in 1814 ordered his troops to fight the Creek nation. He won 22 million acres of Georgia and Alabama, but still the settlers wanted more land. After years of fighting the tribes agreed to treaties the government had offered them. This gave the government control of the lands in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Small amounts of the Indians moved into the lands the government gave them to live in, but later the courts said the country still had the right to take their lands for the discovery.
I can’t believe how unfair the government was to my people. We were here first, this was our home, our safe place. Where all our history is, but no. We, the government, believe that we have the right to take away your homes. What did my ancestors ever do to deserve that kind of treatment? All the while the Indian nations tried to work with the government peacefully. They didn’t attack the settlers and they didn’t burn down town. But the “land hungry” settlers did. They also murdered some Cherokee when they were on the trail of tears.
Oh the trail of tears, the name does fit the occasion. When Andrew Jackson became president in 1829, a year after he made the “Indian Removal Act” in 1830. The name fits because it was the act that took away the home lands of the Natives. The Choctaw nation was the first to be moved out of their homes in 1831. The Seminole were then moved in 1832, the Creeks in 1884, Chickasaw in 1837, and finally my people in 1838. Some Natives were able to stay in the home lands after the removal, but not many. About 183,746,000 Native Americans were removed in the end.
The stories of all five Indian nation are unforgettable. The Choctaw left to be free rather than living under a government that treats them unfairly. But then get lost because of a bad guide. The Seminole fought to keep their lands to save themselves for death but failed. The Creeks moved because they were tried of the fighting both physically and vocally with the government. The Chickasaw’s story is probably the best, they got paid to leave and then merged with the Creeks to get nationhood.
My people's story, I believe, is the most heart breaking story because 4,000 Cherokee died on the trail of tear. But before that they were put into camps where some died because of the poor treatment they got. Mean while their homes and town were burned to the ground. Their things and farms were sold to settlers in the lottery. One soldier wrote that four Cherokee were forced into shooting their chief and his children. While the soldier wanted to help he could not. As they march on the trail of tears they had no shoes, and were given blankets that had a disease on them that killed more of my people. They were starving and yet they were forced to pay to get across a river. But some never got across because they were killed by locals while resting. Many others died while waiting to cross.
Why, why, why?????? Why did the settlers force my ancestors to leave?? Just think about what they had to go through to get to their promised land. So many never made it there because of those terrible people who time after time hurt them. If you think that I am over doing it then put yourself in their place.........See it is horrible. So many families taken for one another. Its just to wrong to think about thing that happen that we don’t even know about. I hope you now have a better thought about the Native Americans and what they what through.
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