Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears refers to the forced relocation of Cherokee people from their southeastern homelands in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma during 1838-1839, resulting in thousands of deaths from disease, starvation, and exposure. This tragic event stemmed from the Indian Removal Act of 1830, affecting around 60,000 Native Americans from the Five Civilized Tribes, with an estimated quarter to half of the Cherokee population perishing. The U.S. government enforced the removal under President Andrew Jackson, despite Cherokee resistance through legal battles like Worcester v. Georgia.

Routes and Conditions
Cherokee traveled multiple paths, including northern land routes through Tennessee towns like Murfreesboro and Smyrna, southern routes such as Bell and Benge, and a water route via the Tennessee River. Overland detachments faced harsh winters, camping at sites like Mantle Rock in Kentucky while awaiting river crossings, where natural shelters provided limited relief. The trail spans nine states and about 5,000 miles, now commemorated as the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail by the National Park Service.

Legacy
Sites like Mantle Rock preserve the history, allowing visitors to walk original paths, while urban development has obscured much of the route. The Cherokee Nation's "Remember the Removal" initiative documents these events, highlighting voluntary early relocations and forced evictions. Today, it stands as a symbol of ethnic cleansing and resilience in American history.

(Note: "Cherokee Trail" refers to a separate 19th-century emigrant route to California, unrelated to this event.)