Set against the backdrop of a growing nation that was still determining the power of states’ rights and the system of checks and balances in its national government, this Jackdaw reveals the injustice the Cherokee faced under the U.S. government in the late 1700s and early 1800s, and their removal from the East in 1938. Evocative primary sources, including excerpts from treaties and legal decisions, political cartoons, a denouncement of the government’s mistreatment of the Cherokee, and a page of the Cherokee nation newspaper, contribute to a fuller understanding of the legal, political and social aspects of the events leading up to the forced thousand-mile march that ultimately killed thousands of Cherokee. Historian: Audrey Green Rogers. The contents of this Focus Jackdaw feature:

Support Materials

• Illustrated Broadsheet Essay
• Timeline
• Critical Thinking Questions
• Recommended Reading List

Historical Documents

• Front page of Cherokee Phoenix, February 21, 1828.
• Political cartoon poster, 1833-1886.
• Indian Removal Act, May 28, 1830.
• Circular of the New-York Committee in aid of the Cherokee nation, February 10, 1832.
• Excerpt from Andrew Jackson’s State of the Union address, December 6, 1830.
• Excerpt from Worcester v. Georgia, 1832.
• Excerpts from the Treaty of New Echota and a letter from Chief John Ross to the Senate and House of Representatives, 1835.
• Map of Trail of Tears, 1838-1839.