Introduction
The phenomenon of Trail of Tears refers to a sad incidence in which there was forceful relocation of certain nations of the native America. The movement had several negative impacts on the respective nations. These nations included American Indians attributable to an Act of 1830. The American Indians were Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee, Seminole, and Muscogee among others. This Act is Indian Removal Act of 1830. The movement of the American Indians was to most of the countries that were in the West. The relocation was forceful and extremely inhuman to the American Indians.
Compromise of Family and Clans
There were unfair alterations on significant institutions in the American Indians. The relocations suggested that the American Indians could not maintain their family units anymore. The entire relocation period separated members of diverse families. There was a compromise on clan relations attributable to the separation from the relocation. The Indians were not close to their clansmen anymore making them have strained relations. The overpopulation in the areas of relocation led to other deaths of the same group of Americans . The areas were extremely inhabitable causing diseases that were hazardous in the survival of American Indians. Other impacts of the trail of tears include the nature of deaths that the American Indians experienced. The deaths are attributable to the dangerous diseases from the overpopulated environment in areas of relocation.
Another impact of the trail is the significant profit levels that settles enjoyed. After the unfair relocation, there was rampant selling of the lands belonging to the American Indians. This implies that after the relocation the American Indians had to settle in their respective alternative lands. The alternative lands were not easy for the American Indians to settle. They had to learn an entire lifestyle altogether regardless of their native practices. The relocation also suggests that the same Indians had to settle with strange people in their respective new lands. There was a significant alteration in all their lives, which was unfair . The American Indians also had to disregard their cultural practices while settling in the new ands after the relocations. There was a requirement for them to learn the culture of cultivation for them to survive in the new lands. None of them would survive without the knowledge to cultivate. Previously, the Indians were not cultivators of any crop but they had to cultivate in the new lands for survival.
Culture
Culture is extremely significant in the livelihood of people. The relocation denied the American Indians to practice their respective cultures after the relocations. They had to compromise several rights that they had as human beings. They became slaves to such people as Europeans who thought they were less significant. Apart from these, they had numerous abuses that made them to live extremely miserable lives. The miserable lives included living in extremely crowded regions. All these occurrences from the impact of the trail of tears were negative to the American Indians . The people who bought their lands provably did not live in peaceful co-existences because of the intensity of the unfairness to the American Indians.
Reactions to the trail
All the categories of American Indians had different reactions to the entire trail of tears phenomena. This suggests that the impacts were diverse and respective of the category of the American Indian. Apart from the exorbitant profits, the trail also led to wars. There was an intense resistance by the Seminole. This is probably why there was a war in Florida attributable to the trail of tears. Chief Osceola was the leader of this war that attempted to protect the Seminole against the unfair relocation. American Indians had diverse reactions to the trail of tears but most of them walked that historical journey. The unfavorable environment during this historic walk equally led to the death of significant number of American Indians.
In Georgia, the Cherokee category of American Indians chose legal procedures to refuse the trail of tears. These Indians were more civilized than the other Indians were. Their level of civilization made have order in their respective activities. They had leaders who involved the court when there were intense attempts to relocate them. The supreme court of that time ruled in favor of these Indians. This non-beneficial to them, the officials from Georgia still pursued the Indians and forced them out of their native lands in Georgia. The trail had a negative impact of the unity of these American Indians. There were those who resisted the forceful relocations and did not care if they were hurt. Chief John Ross was the leader of these Indians who risked their respective lives. The other category of American Indians agreed to relocate and in turn moved to western lands. Apart from the lands, these American Indians received some form of compensation for surrendering their native lands. The effect for these people was never positive even with the compensation money from the lands. American Indians had to settle in extremely strange lands. The other ones who were unwilling to relocate died. The multitude of the death is the one that inspired the title trail of tears. The trail created an intense division of the entire tribes of Indians.
Economic Impact
The trail of tears had fundamental impacts on the economic system that was prevalent at that time. The chief cause of the relocations was the distribution of land. Some settlers believed that the American Indians did not belong on the lands. This is probably why they made the American Indians endure the historical walk. There was a transformation in the entire economic system in America at that time. This implies that certain people began appreciating the value of land in terms of economic importance. People who had previously regarded land as useless now began to adore land. The adoration was evident because the same people realized that they would above numerous benefits from the sale of land. This also implies that the entire trail phenomena made people value land more than they did other people’s lives. Apart from this, there was an attachment of more economic significance.
Extinction of Culture and Livelihoods
Some historical sources suggest that the trail could have resulted in the extinction of American Indians. The several deaths and inhabitable conditions could have reduced their number significantly. The extinction element of the American Indians is multifaceted in the following ways. The first one is the minimal number of American Indians up to date. The modern world seems to have few American Indians, which is an unfair representation of tribes in America. Another element of extinction is evident in the culture and other fundamental practices of the American Indians. Any American Indians who exits to date fails to appreciate his/her culture probably because they do not even have any knowledge of the same cultures. This indicates that there is an extinction of a culture of creation people that were once accepted Americans. Alternatively, the trail of tears made people disregard their lifestyles for convenience sakes. After relocation to strange lands, the Indians could not continue with the previous lifestyles that they had had in their native lands.
Conclusion
The phenomenon of trail of tears is extremely unacceptable. The deaths that were evident are proof that the trail was sorrowful. The intense negative impacts can create further conflicts in the modern world. There should always be a universal acceptance of the native rights of certain people. Such acceptances will allow people to respect each other and in turn stay away from such primitive behavior as the trail of tears. It was extremely unfair for American Indians to take the painful journey that historians call the Trail of Tears. There should be no existence of such aspects as specific territories for native tribes. This will prevent people from forceful relocations to areas for their respective tribes. There needs to be measures that attempt to prevent such sad occurrences as the trail of tears. These measures include campaigns that aim to educate people and in turn make them to be civilized in all aspects of their lives. No one should accept the creation of policies that are similar to the removal policy. Such policies are non-beneficial and in turn promote conflicts among diverse people. No government should practice any form of favorable treatments to certain members of its citizenry.
List of References
Burgan, Michael. 2001. The Trail of Tears. Minneapolis, Minn: Compass Point Books. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Q9RV8OlDA5sC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Trail+of+Tears.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2ezBUJCaJdOKhQeYwICgCw&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAg
Littlefield, Daniel F. 2011. Encyclopedia of American Indian removal. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Yx46lWJKphEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Encyclopedia+of+American+Indian+removal&hl=en&sa=X&ei=W-3BULqCK8mRhQeAx4CgDQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Encyclopedia%20of%20American%20Indian%20removal&f=false
Perdue, Theda, and Michael D. Green. 2008. The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears. New York: Penguin Books.
Sue Vander Hook, 2010.Trail of Tears Essential Events .New York: ABDO
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SK49G2YvgXQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Sue+Vander+Hook,+2010.Trail+of+Tears+Essential+Events&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ou3BUN2mKMmzhAeO1oCQCA&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Sue%20Vander%20Hook%2C%202010.Trail%20of%20Tears%20Essential%20Events&f=false
