In 1838, the US government forcibly moved 15,000 members of this Indian tribe from their peaceful homes in Georgia to the Oklahoma territory. Four thousand of them died along this "Trail of Tears." Which Indian tribe was displaced in this manner?

The tribe at the heart of this tragic event was the Cherokee Nation. The push for their removal was fueled by land-hungry settlers and the discovery of gold on Cherokee land in Georgia. This pressure culminated in the Indian Removal Act of 1830, championed by President Andrew Jackson, which gave the federal government the power to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River.

What makes this chapter of history particularly devastating is that the Cherokee had made extensive efforts to assimilate into American society. As one of the "Five Civilized Tribes," they developed a written language, adopted a constitution modeled after that of the U.S., and established successful farms. They even took their case to the Supreme Court and won in the 1832 Worcester v. Georgia decision, which affirmed their sovereignty. However, President Jackson defied the court's ruling, paving the way for their removal.

The forced march began in 1838. U.S. soldiers rounded up Cherokee men, women, and children, forcing them on a brutal, thousand-mile journey west to designated "Indian Territory" in present-day Oklahoma. During the grueling trek and in the internment camps, an estimated 4,000 people—nearly a quarter of their population—perished from disease, starvation, and exposure to the harsh elements. This horrific journey is forever remembered as the Trail of Tears.