President Andrew Jackson
The Trail of Tears
Pages 439-443
Workbook pg. 78
The First Tennessee President
 On
March 4, 1829, Andrew Jackson
took the oath of office and became
the seventh President of the United
States.
 President Jackson had been given
the nickname “Old Hickory”.
 He earned the nickname while he
was a soldier. Many said he was
tough as hickory.
President Jackson
 The
election that made Jackson
President was the first in which all
white men could vote.
 Before that time, voting was
reserved for only white men who
owned land.
 Many of the new voters chose
Jackson because they felt he was a
common man like them.
New States for the Union
The Union had grown from the original 13
states to 24 states.
 Vermont, Maine, Kentucky, and Tennessee
had become states.
 Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana formed states
from the Northwest Territory.
 Louisiana and Missouri had been formed
from the Louisiana Purchase.
 Mississippi, Alabama, were added to the
Union and Florida was a territory.

Indian Removal of 1830
In 1830 Congress passed the Indian
Removal Act. This law said that all
Indians living east of the Mississippi River
must leave their lands and move to Indian
Territory. (Current day Oklahoma)
 President Jackson signed the law and
ordered the Choctaws, Creeks, Seminoles,
Chickasaws, Cherokees, and other tribes
to leave their lands.

The Fight Against Removal
 Many
tribes fought against removal.
 The Seminoles of Florida with the
help of runaway slaves struggled to
keep their land.
 Many of the Seminoles were either
killed or forced to leave their homes.
The Cherokee Nation
 The
15,000 Cherokees made up one
of the richest tribes in the U.S.
 Many Cherokees owned small farms,
and a few had large plantations
where Africans were enslaved.
 They had their own government with
a Constitution and elected leaders.
 Gold was discovered on Cherokee
lands in 1829. Settlers poured in to
stake their claims.
Cherokees Fight Removal
 The
Cherokee nation, led by Chief
John Ross, fought back in the U.S.
courts.
 Their case went all the way to the
Supreme Court.
 In 1832, Chief Justice John Marshall
ruled that the U.S. should protect the
Cherokees and their land in Georgia.
Jackson’s Response
Instead of supporting the court ruling,
President Jackson ignored it.
 President Jackson sent soldiers to remove
the Cherokees to the Indian Territory.
 By late 1838, soldiers had forced the last
group of Cherokees to leave their lands.
 Their journey to the Indian Territory
became known as the Trail of Tears.

Trail of Tears – A 116 Day Journey
The Cherokees traveled more than 800
miles through North Carolina and Georgia
through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois,
Missouri, and Arkansas.
 The journey ended on March 26, 1839.
 More than 4,000 Cherokees had died of
cold, disease, and lack of food during the
116-day journey.

Indian Territory
Workbook Page 78
Important Dates
 1791
– The United States
government agrees to accept the
independence of the Cherokee
nation.
 1829 – Gold is discovered on
Cherokee lands; settlers pour in
to stake their claims.
Important Dates
 1829
– Andrew Jackson
becomes the seventh President
of the United States.
 1830 – Congress passes the
Indian Removal Act, forcing all
Indians living east of the
Mississippi River to move to the
Indian Territory.
Important Dates
 1832
– Chief Justice John
Marshall gives the Court’s ruling
that the United States should
protect the Cherokees and their
lands in Georgia, but President
Jackson ignores the ruling.
Important Dates
 1838
– A large group of
Cherokees begin the journey
that has come to be known as
the Trail of Tears; more than
4,000 Cherokees die.