Trail of Tears

Fort used as a concentration camp for Cherokee before the Trail of Tears
Date	Began May 26, 1838
Location	Georgia to Oklahoma
Cause	Indian Removal Act, U.S. expansion, racism
Participants	15,000 Cherokee; 7,000 U.S. soldiers
Outcome	Forced removal of the Cherokee from their land
Casualties
353 Cherokee in concentration camps
4,000 Cherokee on the Trail

The Trail of Tears was a forced movement of Native Americans in the United States between 1836 and 1839. The United States government forced Native Americans to leave their lands and move outside the United States. The U.S. then took over the Native Americans' lands and made the United States bigger. Many Cherokee died from the harsh weather, disease, or lack of food and water.

Because thousands of Native Americans died this forced move, it is called the "Trail of Tears."