United States History Student Edition

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“We have neither land nor home” In 1836, Cherokee Chief John Ross wrote to the U.S. Congress to protest the Treaty of New Echota, which called for all Cherokee to move to the Indian Territory.

A Soldier’s Account of the Trail of Tears John G. Burnett was a private in the mounted infantry. In 1838, he was assigned to act as an interpreter to assist in capturing Cherokee in the Smoky Mountains and transporting them to the Indian Territory. In 1890, on his 80th birthday, he wrote about his memories of the time. PRIMARY SOURCE: MEMOIR “ One can never forget the sadness and solemnity of that morning. Chief John Ross led in prayer and when the bugle sounded and the wagons started rolling many of the children rose to their feet and waved their little hands goodbye to their mountain homes, knowing they were leaving them forever. Many of these helpless people did not have blankets and many of them had been driven from home barefooted. On the morning of November the 17th we encountered a terrific sleet and snow storm with freezing temperatures and from that day until we reached the end of the fateful journey on March the 26th, 1839, the sufferings of the Cherokees were awful. The trail of the exiles was a trail of death. They had to sleep in the wagons and on the ground without fire. And I have known as many as twenty-two of them to die in one night of pneumonia due to ill treatment, cold, and exposure. Among this number was the beautiful Christian wife of Chief John Ross. ” — From John G. Burnett, “The Cherokee Removal Through the Eyes of a Private Soldier” EXAMINE THE SOURCE 1. Identifying What hardships were the Cherokee subjected to? 2. Analyzing Points of View Why do you think Burnett describes the children waving?

PRIMARY SOURCE: LETTER “ By the stipulations of this [treaty], we are despoiled of our private possessions, the indefeasible property of individuals. We are stripped of every attribute of freedom and eligibility for legal self-defence. Our property may be plundered before our eyes; violence may be committed on our persons; even our lives may be taken away. . . . We are denationalized ; we are disfranchised . We are deprived of membership in the human family! We have neither land nor home, nor resting place that can be called our own. . . . We are overwhelmed! Our hearts are sickened. ” — From Thomas Loraine McKenney and James Hall, History of the Indian Tribes of North America , Volume 3 stipulation condition despoiled robbed indefeasible not able to be undone attribute aspect plundered stolen denationalized deprived of nationhood disfranchised [disenfranchised] deprived of the vote EXAMINE THE SOURCE 1. Identifying What does the letter say the treaty takes from the Cherokee? 2. Interpreting Why do you think Ross protests that his people “are denationalized; we are disfranchised”?

PHOTO: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [LC-DIG-pga-07513]; TEXT: (l)McKenney, Thomas Loraine; Hall, James. 1855. History of the Indian Tribes of North America. Volume 3. Published by D. Rice & A.N. Hart, Philadelphia; (r)Burnett, John G. “The Cherokee Removal Through the Eyes of a Private Soldier.” In Zinn, Howard and Anthony Arnove. Voices of a People’s History of the United States. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2004.

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