The Trail of Tears: The Genocide of America's Native Americans

Uncover the chilling truth of the 1830s forced removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands. Witness their resilience, resistance, and the tragic cost of this dark chapter in American history.

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[lexus]

And years later Americans will look on the Holocaust asking

"how can someone do this?"

[JupiterOverland]

I am Choctaw and very proud. My ancestors suffered, but they would not want me or my descendants to be victims. I live in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and celebrate my heritage everyday. We are thriving as a nation and our people are prosperous. Thank you for doing this video and telling our history. But I hope people see our Nation in a positive manner today.

[elfdream]

It should be noted that not all Cherokee went west. There were about a thousand who escaped the Trail by various means, some by legalities and some by just hiding out in the mountains. Their descendants are still in North Carolina and are known as the Eastern Band. However, even though we are divided, we Cherokees still consider ourselves one people.

[seagullsg]

Right after this they donated money to the irish who were starving to death, this community needed all their resources to rebuild thier own lives that had been devastated so badly but they sent money none the less. My ancestors survived due to that gesture and the irish didnt forget. Much love across generations, land and time ❤

[Gillemear]

We in Ireland learn about the Trail of Tears at school. We link it to our own "to hell or to Connacht" forced migration after Cromwells invasion of Ireland and to the Great Potato Famine, where the Choctaw sent 100 dollars to help our nation in our time of need, despite it being less than a generation since these people were forced on this genocidal nightmare. We will always remember, never forget and will be forever in their debt.

[duanebidoux]

Thank-you for covering this. It is very important not to forget America's history at a time so many Americans are fighting to make sure it is forgotten.

[ebubechiibegbula]

Finally an accurate description of a historical figure "A MURDEROUS THUG WHO SOMEHOW IS A NATIONAL HERO" ... Apt description my friend, very apt ....

[lilykep]

I grew up a few miles from the Choctaw capitol in Oklahoma. My best friend's aunt walks the Trail of Tears in remembrance every year. Lisa, my best friend works for the Choctaw Nation and is teaching the language to the new generation. Chef Batton has a strong desire to reinstate the Choctaw language as one of the primary ones spoken by his people, he's worked very hard in an effort to further that goal. It's amazing to see the progress made in the past 20 years. When I was in high school most people knew of their Choctaw heritage and were proud of it, but had little to no actual knowledge of their language and cultural traditions. Now little ones are taught their language in school and are surrounded daily by elders who help them learn and embrace their culture.

[TheMassEffect]

Thank you Simon for finally doing the trail of tears and telling the story of my people

[Dragnfly_mynamewastaken]

If you can, it might be worth doing a follow-up about the Canadian side of things. It's a different story for sure, but still an absolutely horrible dark shadow on history and yes, the present too. People tend to forget it because of Canada's reputation as "the world's most friendly people" so it's important to learn that no one people are all good-natured.

[LibraLevin]

My grandmothers great grandmother was a Cherokee medicine woman. She told my grandmother stories of what she went through as a child unfortunately most of our history was lost when she passed away. My grandmother says that she sees her spirit in me. “Eyes of sadness with the hate of the world but full of spitfire when someone you love gets hurt”

Thank you for sharing some of their tragedies Simon.

[miriamthompson]

Trail of Tears passes through the town I live in and it's a sad reminder for me. I am of Native American descent and stories like this always makes me proud of how strong and resilient we are, but at the same time it's sad to know lives were needlessly lost.

[shaunaburton]

Humans treating other humans horribly is so constant throughout history.

[rmaxwell]

I am Choctaw. Our tribe has survived for thousands of years.

The Trail of Tears and Death lasted much longer than most people know, the last removal of Choctaws was in 1903.

I once had a classmate majoring in history education attempt to tell me, “..the tribes were not forced, they went willingly.” Being forced under the threat of annihilation is not “..going willingly..” If you were robbed at gunpoint, did you willingly give your wallet and valuables?

There are many more things that non-American Indians should know. Here are a few.

We are not all the same. There are hundreds of different tribes and different cultures. It is best practice to refer to us by our specific tribal affiliation, and it is okay to ask.

Each tribe has their own requirements for tribal citizenship. Only the tribe can make the determination.

When remains are repatriated to the Choctaw (through NAGPRA), the tribe will sometimes conduct two sets of funeral rights. A traditional and a modern Christian prayer. This is because it cannot be known which beliefs the individual held. If no living relatives exist, the remains are buried in a randomly chosen secret location on tribal land. The site is registered with the tribe so that it is protected and not disturbed.

The Choctaws practiced a mix of burial rights. One was similar to a sky burial where the deceased is left to the elements. Family and friends could visit the deceased and thus were allowed to grieve for months. Eventually the bones would be placed into a central location alongside others.

Most tribes did not use teepees. The Choctaw and Chickasaw built houses designed for winter and summer.

There is no “native look” in modern US society. The majority of us do not look like the stereotypical idea of Indian. This is due to the randomness of genetics.

Not all native tribes have casinos or royalties.

Stickball (the little brother of war) is a traditional sport many tribes still play today. The brutal sport is a combination of American football and lacrosse without padding/protection. Players sometimes died during games. Stickball was occasionally used to resolve conflicts instead of war. The playing field could be hundreds of feet or a few miles long and lasted hours or days. Modern stickball is still played by many tribes without protection and with few rules added to increase safety.

American Indians were not granted the right to vote or US citizenship until 1924.
Some states still make this for difficult or impossible for natives by passing discriminatory voting laws. Even within the past two years.

Many, many native women and girls were forcibly sterilized without knowledge or consent up into the 1970s.

Native Americans were denied civil rights up into the 1970s.

Natives are victimized at higher rates of violent crimes. Approximately 1/4 girls and 1/6 boys are victim to sexual abuse.

Native women are victims of murder at a higher rate than other groups.

Poverty is a major issue for many on tribal reservations. The issue can be very complex and is no fault of the individuals residing there. Clean, running water and electricity are not available for some.

I would highly recommend a visit to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the Native American in NYC or Washington D.C., the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, or a tribal cultural center to learn more about various tribes. Another great option is an inter-tribal pow-wow if able to attend.

[OoLOSTWORLDoO]

Thank you for covering the plight of the original people of North America, indigenous people in South America, Auatralia and other places suffered a similar fate.

[thesmirkingbearstudio]

I highly respect simon and his team being willing to discuss and open the converstion of Indigenous North American history. Between the residential schools video and this, I recommended a share of my friends to watch these videos . Its some of the best videos I've seen in recent memory coming from non-indigenous and European people touching upon the topics .

[andrewwatson]

Thanks for the history lesson, it's hard to hear stories like that, but they need to be told

[paulaweaver]

As a person of native American heritage growing up in a rural Midwestern state in the 1960's and 1970's, we had to pass as white to avoid persecution.
My grandma and my dad were often called half breeds and not allowed in certain places. My great grandmother who was of the first people (Miami nation) was not an American citizen until the law was passed in the 1950's.
The only reason my grandmother was an American citizen is because her mother ( my Great grandmother) married an American citizen.
Thank you

[timothymills]

Thank you for sharing our story on this format. Simon, your story telling skill is impeccable. GYN

[jeremyjames]

I’m Cherokee I was born right next to the trail of tears, many Cherokee settled along it and in Oklahoma after they were forced to resettle I remember seeing the actual trail during a field trip and thinking of my grandpa. He did many historical events on the Cherokee I miss him dearly he taught me so many amazing things. Had me making my own traps walking sticks throwing tomahawks it was a great childhood.