Trail of Tears Review Theda Research Paper

This must have made the sting of their losses in court -- and their losses despite winning in court -- even more bitter. They had learned and played by the new rules even though that system was unfair to begin with (in all fairness, the Americans should have used the Cherokee legal system to try and get what they wanted), but the system refused to give them fair access. This is more evidence that the American and Georgian governments really did not want to see the Cherokee as equal or deserving the same protections and rights under their own laws as they themselves were, and that they were willing to do whatever it took to get the land that the Cherokees had lived on for generations. The advancement of Cherokee language and culture would have been an indicator to any eye, even a heavily racist and otherwise biased one, that these people were not mere "savages" but had a way of life similar in complexity to that of European man. In fact, by our modern standards, they were actually far more advanced in some ways. Their efforts at conservation were very sophisticated; the authors describe how they would pass three ginseng plants when herb collecting before picking the fourth, this ensuring that there were always more plants to be found. They lived with nature rather than seeing themselves as needing to control it and be protected from it, as the white man did. But just because they lived with nature doesn't mean there weren;t the signs of civilization that Western eyes would have looked for. As the authors say, "Awareness and conservation...do not mean that Cherokees did not alter their environment...they built villages on sites that they had cleared from the forest" (Perdue, Green, 8). This is just the kind of thing that the European settlers were doing, or trying to do, when they first arrived. Therefore there is no justification, not even the often used and morally repugnant excuse that the Native Americans were an inferior race or civilization, for taking their land and forcing them out of their way of life. Yet this is exactly what the Americans did, to the Cherokee and to many others, proving the author's point that this was all about greed, and nothing else.

A really like the even style with which the authors wrote this history. Even though it is clear who they believe is in the wrong, the tone stays fairly objective throughout the book. History, after all, has condemned the actions taken against the Native Americans, so it can hardly be seen as subjective when these two authors do the same. They managed to convey a lot of information, some of it more complicated than might be expected, but all the time keeping the book very engaging. Even though I knew how it would turn out I found myself hoping for a Cherokee victory at every turn. I think everyone ought to read this book if they have the chance; not only is it an important and little-understood portion of our history, but the struggle of the Cherokee people mirrors the struggle of any downtrodden person or group, and brings a sense of solidarity to what may ultimately prove to be fruitless struggles for justice......