The removal of the Cherokee Indians
This lesson allows students to assess the influence of the Trail of Tears. Students will read a brief history of the Cherokee Indians, past and present. They will watch the Unto These Hills video and read excerpts from Native Americans and government officials during the Indian Removal. Students will write an essay supporting or opposing the Indian Removal Act.
A lesson plan for grades 9–12 Social Studies
Learn more
- Cherokee History: Trail of Tears as told by the Cherokees The Cherokee North Carolina website provides a history of the Trail of Tears of the Cherokee perspective.
- National Historic Trails From the Geographic Resources Program, this website provides a map of the Trail of Tears, as well as other national historic trails.
Related pages
- A walk of betrayal: The Trail of Tears: In this lesson plan for fourth and fifth grades, students will read various resources and watch videos about the Cherokee. They will trace the history of the Cherokee, discuss the outcomes of the impact of the white man, and determine how that intrusion led the Cherokee to the Trail of Tears. The students will examine the survival of the Cherokee and explore their accomplishments into the 21st century.
- North Carolina Cherokee Indians: The Trail of Tears: In this two week unit, students will study the Cherokee by participating in literature circles, learning about Native American story telling, writing a letter to Andrew Jackson to protest against the Creek War, and more.
- Native American music: Two North Carolina tribes: In this lesson plan, students will listen to songs from two North Carolina tribes. Students will learn about the music through listening, analyzing, singing, moving, and playing instruments.
Related topics
- Learn more about American Indian history, American Indians, American history, Indian Removal Act, Trail of Tears, United States, history, and social studies.
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Learning outcomes
Students will:
- understand The Trail of Tears, its hardships, and loss experienced by the Cherokee.
- evaluate and compare the various trails taken by the Cherokee Indians to Oklahoma.
- form opinions of the government’s motives for the relocation.
- form an opinion based on the information that has been presented and research.
Teacher planning
Time required for lesson
90 minutes
Materials/resources
- Pencil/pen and paper.
- Map transparency of The Trail of Tears.
- Copies of Trail of Tears artwork.
- video Unto These Hills from NC Classroom Resources Documentaries
- copies of The Indian Removal Act of 1830 for each student
- Copy of excerpts from the book From the Heart: Voices of the American Indian by Lee Miller. Recommended excerpt is pages 152-153.
- Rubric.
Technology resources
- Overhead
- Computer/Projector
Pre-activities
Students will have a brief knowledge of the Jackson era and why Americans felt the need to move West.
Activities
- Teacher will post the following questions on the board:
- What feelings, thoughts, and images come to mind when you think of home?
- Is the “home” that you are envisioning the physical place where you reside currently? Why or why not?
- Students will reflect on the above questions and write a journal entry. Teacher will explain to students that this lesson relates to a law that had a dramatic effect on “home” for thousands of Native Americans.
- Recall for students what they know about the American movement westward. Explain to students that many Native Americans still lived in the Eastern part of the United States. They lived in such states as Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. The American people were not interested in living in dry areas west of the Mississippi River. They wanted the Native Americans to be relocated to the areas of land west of the Mississippi River.
- Teacher will use the overhead projector to display a map of the Trail of Tears. Students will discuss the different routes taken.
- Explain to your students that they will be watching a video that will re-enact the accounts leading up to the Trail of Tears. These segments are of an outdoor drama called Unto These Hills. Students will need to take notes for the upcoming assignment.
- Teacher will distribute copies of The Indian Removal Act of 1830 or other related primary source documents, excerpts from the book From the Heart, and a Rubric for the homework essay. For homework students are to write a persuasive essay supporting or opposing the Indian Removal Act.
Assessment
Evaluate essays against the Rubric. Gauge student participation in class discussions.
Supplemental information
Comments
Instead of the essay students could create the front page of a newspaper in the year 1830.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Social Studies (2003)
Grade 11–12 — American Indian Studies
- Goal 2: The learner will analyze the historical developments that characterize Native American life in the period prior to the Civil War.
- Objective 2.04: Assess the impact of the major events of the period including, but not limited to, the Iroquois Confederacy and the Great Law of Peace; the removal of American Indians from the East; and the participation of American Indians in the Civil War.
Grade 11–12 — United States History
- Goal 2: Expansion and Reform (1801-1850) - The learner will assess the competing forces of expansionism, nationalism, and sectionalism.
- Objective 2.01: Analyze the effects of territorial expansion and the admission of new states to the Union.
