Sunday, June 6, 2010

Trail of Tears Movie - @trailtearsmovie

500 Nations'Trail of Tears' by Soaring Eagle Entertainment

Hello, Everyone! This post features, Trail of Tears, an upcoming movie about the removal of many Native American people from their homelands in what we now call, the United States of America (USA). I learned of this movie from my fellow @DelynMiche Tweeter, @trailtearsmovie.

In 1830, Congress passed the 'Indian Removal Act' and its purpose, intent and actions are obvious by its name. The Native Americans attempted to battle this Act in the colonial Supreme Court. However, the Act prevailed. The Trail of Tears was the relocation and movement of Native Americans, including many members of the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, and Choctaw nations, among others in the United States, from their homelands to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) in the western United States. The phrase, 'The Trail of Tears' originated from a description of the removal of the Choctaw Nation in 1831. Many Native Americans suffered from exposure, disease and starvation while en route to the new destinations chosen for them; many died, including 4,000 of the 15,000 relocated Cherokee.

This process of cultural transformation (proposed by George Washington and Henry Knox) gained momentum, especially toward the Cherokee and Choctaw. Andrew Jackson was the first U.S. President to implement removal of the Native Americans with the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. In 1831, the Choctaw were the first to be removed and they became the model for all other removals. After the Choctaw, the Seminole were removed in 1832, the Creek in 1834, then the Chickasaw in 1837 and finally, the Cherokee in 1838.

After these mass removals, some Native Americans did manage to remain in their ancient homelands - the Choctaw are found in Mississippi, the Seminole in Florida, the Creek in Alabama and the Cherokee in North Carolina. A limited number of Europeans and Africans (usually as slaves) accompanied the Native American nations on the trek westward. By 1837, 46,000 Native Americans from these southeastern Native American Indian nations had been removed from their homelands, thereby opening 25 million acres for settlement by whites.

Just like 'The Holocaust' and 'Slavery in the USA' (and everywhere else), the 'Indian Removal Act' should never have been allowed to prevail! What a shame that, often, humans are another human's worst threat to a good, blessed life.

This trailer/video features the forthcoming movie, Trail of Tears, by Soaring Eagle Entertainment. One of my favorite lines from this video is, "They say that Christopher Columbus discovered America. But, we we already here." Another favorite, so telling of another true reason for the 'Indian Removal Act', "When gold was discovered on our lands... They removed our people."

Thank-you, @trailtearsmovie for sharing your movie trailer/video with us!



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