Trail+of+tears+by+jeffw09

It is 1838, my wife and 3 kids are being forced to move away from are land. Are houses have been burned and possessions taken. All of our farms have been raffled to the whites and many have been executed for not leaving. We are being forced to give up are land east of the Mississippi river. Many other tribes have been evacuated; we are the last to be deported. The Cherokee, our tribe is moving in packs to the west. We have travelled 600 miles, and we are half way there. Many of us have faced hunger, exhaustion, and death. This all started in 1829 when gold was found around are land. Georgia residents started to trespass on are land and when we told them to get out, they took their case to the Supreme Court. Georgia wanted the gold but so did are tribe. That's when the first gold rush  of the US began. And now President Jackson is forcing us to leave is land. Are old land is now going to be used for cotton fields and mining. We were captured by the military (who were sent out by Jackson) and put in concentration camp waiting to get shipped off to the west. There were not enough boats to take us west so we were sent off to walk. Many had wagons, horses, and other ways to get there. We had one horse, which my wife rode. My 2 kids and I have to walk. We had ripped cloth and no shoes. At times I feel like we will not make it. I have not eaten for 3 days. I’m thirsty, hungry, and tired, but I have to keep moving. Some of our people were allowed to stay in hiding in the mountains. They were kept a secret and were saved by [|William Holland Thomas] who was adopted by are people as a young boy. They are not being forced to leave because they were owned by William Thomas which made them legal to stay. When we arrive in the new land, I will start a farm and live off of that. By then, many of us will die. The tribe will not be the same; and the laws made will not help us. We will have to do it all on are own.