The Trail of Tears is the name given to the forced relocation of Native American nations following the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The removal included many members of tribes who did not wish to assimilate. Many Native Americans suffered from disease and exposure, and somewhere between 2,000-6,000 Cherokee died on the trail. The Trail of Tears Diary includes interviews that reveals the extraordinary resilience of the Native American nations during the trail.
Pair “Excerpt from Trail of Tears Diary” with “‘Gold! Gold!’: The Story of the Gold Rush” and ask students to discuss the different points of view provided by the two texts. How do the first-person accounts of Cherokee people in “Excerpt from Trail of Tears Diary” frame the information that is provided about the Trail of Tears? How does the third-person description of events in “‘Gold! Gold!’: The Story of the Gold Rush” frame the information that is provided about the Gold Rush? What are some perspectives about the Gold Rush in California that “‘Gold! Gold!’: The Story of the Gold Rush” leaves out?