The Supreme Court deemed the Cherokee an independent nation. Why were the Cherokee forced onto the Trail of Tears? (5 points)
a
They wanted to get the better land offered to them in the West.
b
A few leaders signed a removal treaty with the U.S. government.
c
Their land was purchased by the State of Georgia for a small sum.
d
They decided to leave anyway to avoid further fights with white settlers.
The correct answer is b. A few leaders signed a removal treaty with the U.S. government.
To find the answer, start by understanding the background. The Cherokee Tribe was historically recognized as an independent nation by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1832 ruling Worcester v. Georgia. Despite this recognition, many white settlers desired Cherokee lands, particularly in the southern U.S. states where the Cherokee resided.
In 1835, a group of Cherokee leaders, who were encouraged by the U.S. government, signed the Treaty of New Echota. This treaty agreed to the removal of the Cherokee from their ancestral lands in the Southeast to lands designated for them in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation, as a whole, did not support this treaty, and their principal chief, John Ross, staunchly opposed it.
However, the U.S. government used the signed treaty as legal justification to enforce the removal of the Cherokee from their lands. The forced relocation became known as the Trail of Tears, during which thousands of Cherokee, along with other Native American tribes, endured a journey marked by immense suffering, loss of life, and displacement.
Therefore, the Cherokee were forced onto the Trail of Tears primarily due to a few leaders signing the removal treaty with the U.S. government, despite the opposition of the Cherokee Nation as a whole.