The Trail of Tears: A Primary Source History of the Forced Relocation of the Cherokee Nation

Primary Sources in American History

by Ann Byers

The United States government's removal of the Cherokee from their ancestral homes and farms in Georgia is one of the saddest chapters in American history. The terrible conditions they faced on the forced march to new homes west of the Mississippi River claimed 4,000 Cherokee lives. The cruel story of the near extermination of the Cherokee nation and its stubborn survival is told in lavishly illustrated detail using contemporary primary sources.

Genres: Nonfiction

64 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2003

Reviews

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Trail of Tears is a must read book for all school age children when learning about American History. I had known that Native Americans had suffered at the hands of our government but had no clue as to the extent until I read this book. Ann Byers did a wonderful job explaining these repeated inexcusable acts and broken promises by our government in as way that anyone could follow. That is, as much as anyone can comprehend of something that makes no sense that it even happened in the first place. Especially from a government that had fought so hard for its own independence and freedoms.