The Horrors of Forced Indian Migrations

Key Insight

The forced migrations of Indian tribes were accompanied by 'terrible afflictions.' Already exhausted and diminished upon leaving their ancestral lands, they faced hunger behind them and war ahead, as new territories were often occupied by jealous tribes. The social bond, weakened by these trials, broke down as migrants split up, searching stealthily for survival, becoming 'outlaws' in the wilderness.

This dispersal led to the loss of common names, forgotten languages, and the disappearance of all traces of their origins, effectively ending the existence of entire nations. A firsthand account from late 1831 describes a band of Choctaws, including wounded, sick, infants, and elders, crossing the frozen Mississippi in winter with scant provisions. They embarked in silence, their dogs, realizing abandonment, howled and leaped into the icy waters, swimming after their masters.

The dispossession often occurred in a 'perfectly legal manner.' The US government would send embassies, offering goods like firearms, whiskey, and mirrors for land, implying that refusal would lead to the government being 'powerless to guarantee the enjoyment of their rights.' Half-persuaded, half-coerced, Indians departed for new wilderness, where they would be lucky to have peace for ten years, allowing Americans to acquire 'entire provinces' for 'next to nothing.' This process resulted in 'irreparable' evils, leading to the belief that the Indian race in North America is 'doomed.'