Choctaw Trail of Tears

The Choctaw Trail of Tears was the relocation of the Choctaw Nation from their country referred to now as the Deep South (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana) to lands west of the Mississippi River in Indian Territory in the 1830s. A Choctaw minko (chief) was quoted by the Arkansas Gazette that the removal was a "trail of tears and death." After removal the Choctaws became three distinct groups, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

Read more about Choctaw Trail Of Tears:  Overview, Treaties, Aftermath

Famous quotes containing the words trail and/or tears:

    In one notable instance, where the United States Army and a hundred years of persuasion failed, a highway has succeeded. The Seminole Indians surrendered to the Tamiami Trail. From the Everglades the remnants of this race emerged, soon after the trail was built, to set up their palm-thatched villages along the road and to hoist tribal flags as a lure to passing motorists.
    —For the State of Florida, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)

    Laughter and grief join hands. Always the heart
    Clumps in the breast with heavy stride;
    The face grows lined and wrinkled like a chart,
    The eyes bloodshot with tears and tide.
    Let the wind blow, for many a man shall die.
    Karl Shapiro (b. 1913)