Trail of Tears

Cultural  

1. The route along which the United States government forced several tribes of Native Americans, including the Cherokees, Seminoles, Chickasaws, Choctaws, and Creeks, to migrate to reservations west of the Mississippi River in the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s. Those on the march suffered greatly from disease and mistreatment.

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Example Sentences

Civil War general Winfield Scott, who oversaw the forced relocation of Indigenous peoples in 1838 that eventually became the Trail of Tears.

From New York Times • Nov. 1, 2023

“The families later known as Creek Freedmen likewise walked the Trail of Tears alongside the tribal clans and fought to protect the new homeland upon arrival in Indian Territory,” Mouser wrote.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2023

The Cherokee were forced to relocate from their lands in the South to present-day Oklahoma, an arduous and deadly journey known as the Trail of Tears.

From Washington Times • Sep. 28, 2022

Michael Herr wrote that Vietnam was where the Trail of Tears was headed all along.

From Salon • Aug. 27, 2022

One of Michigan’s statues depicts Lewis Cass, an enslaver who was also involved in the Trail of Tears.

From Washington Post