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Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation
One of the many ironies of U.S. government policy toward Indians in the early 1800s is that it persisted in removing to the West those who had most successfully adapted to European values. As whites encroached on Cherokee land, many Native leaders responded by educating their children, learning English, and developing plantations. Such a leader was Ridge, who had fought with Andrew Jackson against the British. As he and other Cherokee leaders grappled with the issue of moving, the land-hungry Georgia legislatiors, with the aid of Jackson, succeeded in ousting the Cherokee from their land, forcing them to make the arduous journey West on the infamous "Trail of Tears." (Library Journal)
424 pages, Paperback
First published September 22, 1988
About the author
John Ehle
32 books57 followersJohn Ehle (1925-2018) grew up the eldest of five children in the mountains of North Carolina, which would become the setting for many of his novels and several works of nonfiction. Following service in World War II, Ehle received his BA and MA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he met the playwright Paul Green and began writing plays for the NBC radio series American Adventure. He taught at the university for ten years before joining the staff of the North Carolina governor Terry Sanford, where Ehle was a “one-man think tank,” the governor’s “idea man” from 1962 to 1964. (Sanford once said of Ehle: “If I were to write a guidebook for new governors, one of my main suggestions would be that he find a novelist and put him on his staff.”) Ehle was the author of eleven novels, seven of which constitute his celebrated Mountain Novels cycle, and six works of nonfiction. He had one daughter, actress Jennifer Ehle, with his wife Rosemary Harris, also an actress.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
August 28, 2007
I have bought and given away many copies of this book..It is my favorite book and it details the history of the Rise and Fall OF my people The Cheokees..I wish everyone would get a copy of this book and read what can happen when you do everything right and the government decides they want what you have obtained and take it away from you and give it to someone who did nothing to obtain it..Thia book gives informtuion bout a president of the US and his disregard for the human rights of people that he could never be good enough to even tie one Cherokee mans their shoe laces.. Present Andrew Jacksons actions make president Bush's actions seem like a saints in comparison..
December 30, 2016
Well, now I know.
Considering I am part Cherokee, I have been curious about the details of this event for a long time. This book was not written in a voice that delivers a dramatic or emotional punch so I felt it lacked a personal touch, a personal touch that would have affected the Cherokee side of me a little deeper. But what it lacked in personality, it delivered in information. As is the case most of the time, what I thought I knew based on hear-say and Hollywood romanticizing, is much shallower than the facts of the actual event.
Trail of Tears is a well documented story of the relocation of the Cherokee Nation from their ancestral lands in the east, to new lands further west. The book takes us far beyond the journey itself and begins early on during the colonization of America by the whites, so we are given the big picture of the overall history that led up to the cruel exodus that took the Cherokee's land as well as many of their lives.
As our nation ages and grows more humble and open, I am appreciative of truth that is revealed, of skeletons that are let out of the closet. But lets me honest; those skeletons don't just belong on one side of the fence. Regardless what you call yourself, we are all human and we all have them. And this is why I enjoy books like this. We need history with its facts. We need to face the truth. Otherwise, how could we face ourselves.
June 22, 2011
In the summer of 2008 I found myself dirty and exhausted in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, taking a day off whilst re-supplying on a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. As an Englishman alone, I was spoilt for choice between the Dollyworld theme park and the World of Magnets emporium. Whilst vacillating on this dilemma over a beer, I fell into conversation with a Cherokee lady who entranced me with a brief history of nearby Cherokee and the tragic history of The Trail of Tears. Continuing on the trek, I couldn’t help thinking of the forests in a new light, populated by the Cherokee nation. Being English I imagined Indian history with horseback braves sweeping across plains a la Hollywood. In view of my interest, after finishing the trek, I was gifted this book by an American friend. It relates the history and culture of the Cherokee nation including the atrocity of the Trail of Tears.It is far from my Hollywood misconceptions
The story is sad and enlightening. I had no idea of the nature of Cherokee culture and many aspects surprised me. Western names, the Irish influence and the politics of the time and area. All empires and powers are founded in some respect on the persecution, subjugation and deprivation of minority races or people. The land grabs surrounding the Southern Appalachian area are no different.
On a negative note, the book does not read easily. The style is very stilted and the tone constantly varies from historical to anecdotal, reading like an amateur paper. Nonetheless, the bland style is somewhat mitigated by the sad historical story.
A must read if you visit this area or have interest in this period of US history. Changed my understanding of this area and my hike through it.
Can anyone recommend a similar book on Dollyworld or The World of Magnets?
The story is sad and enlightening. I had no idea of the nature of Cherokee culture and many aspects surprised me. Western names, the Irish influence and the politics of the time and area. All empires and powers are founded in some respect on the persecution, subjugation and deprivation of minority races or people. The land grabs surrounding the Southern Appalachian area are no different.
On a negative note, the book does not read easily. The style is very stilted and the tone constantly varies from historical to anecdotal, reading like an amateur paper. Nonetheless, the bland style is somewhat mitigated by the sad historical story.
A must read if you visit this area or have interest in this period of US history. Changed my understanding of this area and my hike through it.
Can anyone recommend a similar book on Dollyworld or The World of Magnets?
December 12, 2019
I wish everyone could read this book. If you happen to get the chance to read this, PLEASE DO..
April 8, 2009
ok, i won't lie - this took a long time to get through. it's often incredibly dense, and the amount of research that went into it must have been astounding. and truth be told, i eventually found myself struggling to read each-and-every historical detail... but that's a shortcoming of my own attention span, not of the book.
as an inquiry into race and assimilation, this is about as good as it gets. it's not really the story of white settlers and native americans. it's the story of cherokees, creeks, moravians, methodists, baptists, slaves, slave-owners, "half-breeds," choctaws and seminoles. ehle goes to great lengths to render the transformations the cherokees undertook in their encounters with white civilization. yes - as most reviews of this book note - they "took on white customs," but the ambiguity involved in doing so is given fantastic expression.
the book contains lots of strange little portraits. consider general john wool, who arrives to police the cherokee with a strong arm... and instead finds himself disgusted with his own people in the face of their treatment. ehle gives us a glimpse at some of his letters, which seem sincere, patronizing and paternalistic simultaneously. wool's scrappy, military persona is ill-suited to his new-found empathy. so he argues ineffectively on behalf of the cherokee and is eventually removed from his post. wool's story is emblematic of the book's remarkable ambiguity. ehle considers his subjects in three dimensions. the stories are complicated and unsentimental, but also intimate and moving.
as a 21st century reader, it's interesting to note the incredible bureaucratic posturing that went into the cherokee's catastrophic removal from georgia. when confronted with the native american genocide, it's easy to imagine white settlers as barbaric sadists. i'm sure many of them were, but trail of tears rarely focuses on scandals and visceral brutality. instead, the atrocities arrive slowly - through unfair court hearings, shady legislation, broken promises and changing political allegiances. its horror is systematic. at times it's even somewhat familiar.
finally, this book is beautifully written. ehle occasionally adopts a literary style that runs the risk of embellishment. he gets inside the heads of his subjects to a degree that some historians might be uncomfortable with, but i found it tasteful and engrossing. i also enjoyed the diversity of his stylistic approaches. the text moves sharply from cold facts to literary poetics, with a healthy dose of original source material thrown in (sometimes stretching several pages at a time).
if you're interested in native american history (and willing to commit to something dense and challenging), this book is essential reading.
as an inquiry into race and assimilation, this is about as good as it gets. it's not really the story of white settlers and native americans. it's the story of cherokees, creeks, moravians, methodists, baptists, slaves, slave-owners, "half-breeds," choctaws and seminoles. ehle goes to great lengths to render the transformations the cherokees undertook in their encounters with white civilization. yes - as most reviews of this book note - they "took on white customs," but the ambiguity involved in doing so is given fantastic expression.
the book contains lots of strange little portraits. consider general john wool, who arrives to police the cherokee with a strong arm... and instead finds himself disgusted with his own people in the face of their treatment. ehle gives us a glimpse at some of his letters, which seem sincere, patronizing and paternalistic simultaneously. wool's scrappy, military persona is ill-suited to his new-found empathy. so he argues ineffectively on behalf of the cherokee and is eventually removed from his post. wool's story is emblematic of the book's remarkable ambiguity. ehle considers his subjects in three dimensions. the stories are complicated and unsentimental, but also intimate and moving.
as a 21st century reader, it's interesting to note the incredible bureaucratic posturing that went into the cherokee's catastrophic removal from georgia. when confronted with the native american genocide, it's easy to imagine white settlers as barbaric sadists. i'm sure many of them were, but trail of tears rarely focuses on scandals and visceral brutality. instead, the atrocities arrive slowly - through unfair court hearings, shady legislation, broken promises and changing political allegiances. its horror is systematic. at times it's even somewhat familiar.
finally, this book is beautifully written. ehle occasionally adopts a literary style that runs the risk of embellishment. he gets inside the heads of his subjects to a degree that some historians might be uncomfortable with, but i found it tasteful and engrossing. i also enjoyed the diversity of his stylistic approaches. the text moves sharply from cold facts to literary poetics, with a healthy dose of original source material thrown in (sometimes stretching several pages at a time).
if you're interested in native american history (and willing to commit to something dense and challenging), this book is essential reading.
April 22, 2018
History books were written very differently 30 years ago. First this isn’t a book about the trail of tears. It’s barely a book about the Cherokee people. This is a book about the lives of the major figures involved in negotiating with the US government leading up to resettlement. It’s sources are the documents white people wrote about those Cherokee leaders. Cherokee wasn’t a written language so contemporary first person accounts are probably non existent. However, this creates a one sided tone the author did little to counter. The only time any Cherokee voices come through are those couple of years when the Cherokee Phoenix was being published.
There is one chapter on the round up and removal. It’s so white washed as to be embarrassing. He notes there are “camps” and that some people had to be led away at bayonet point, but nothing else. There’s a bit more detail in the Epilogue as he mentions some of the factions that stayed behind. The part about the actual March acknowledges that there was sickness and death and folks seemed unhappy but it was written in the style of a fever dream. Very different from the rest of the book and confusing.
At the end, though he clearly thought Andrew Jackson was an abhorrent human, he plays apologist for the government, arguing it was either removal or war and the Cherokee were warriors who owned slaves so we shouldn’t assume they wouldn’t have caused more problems if they stayed.
I am generously giving two stars because the details about the negotiations with the government before removal and the situation the Georgia government created was well done and very informative.
There is one chapter on the round up and removal. It’s so white washed as to be embarrassing. He notes there are “camps” and that some people had to be led away at bayonet point, but nothing else. There’s a bit more detail in the Epilogue as he mentions some of the factions that stayed behind. The part about the actual March acknowledges that there was sickness and death and folks seemed unhappy but it was written in the style of a fever dream. Very different from the rest of the book and confusing.
At the end, though he clearly thought Andrew Jackson was an abhorrent human, he plays apologist for the government, arguing it was either removal or war and the Cherokee were warriors who owned slaves so we shouldn’t assume they wouldn’t have caused more problems if they stayed.
I am generously giving two stars because the details about the negotiations with the government before removal and the situation the Georgia government created was well done and very informative.
July 7, 2009
Well, this is exactly how I learned it in school. Oh,well,uh, maybe not exactly. In fact, not at all. Actually, it's alarming to realize how this version of reality is so totally inconsistent with public school education. OK, enough rant.
This fascinating story constructed from a personal viewpoint made it that much more compelling. I'll take on faith the quoted letters but suspect that some dots were connected by leap of faith and not historical documentation. But that's good enough for me to paint a picture of yet another dirty little era in the rich history of European domination of the western world in the land of the free and the former home of the braves. The native americans blew it but then they weren't dealt a particularly strong hand and then played it poorly but not to be faulted. I was embarrassed at my ignorance of the degree to which the Cherokee people took steps to adapt in the new world circumstances as well as the amount of inter-marriage and assimilation.
I am working my way through the book and don't find the writing particularly good. It seems like a pastiche of well-researched facts, historical novel and personal opinions with blurred lines among them. But it sure is interesting.
Finally finished this book. Not a particularly fun read. But the subject matter is so compelling and the presentation of facts so incredibly inconsistent with my naive appreciation of New World occupation that the content of this book just pulled me along.
Reading this book - or something pretty close to it - should be required to maintain citizenship.
This fascinating story constructed from a personal viewpoint made it that much more compelling. I'll take on faith the quoted letters but suspect that some dots were connected by leap of faith and not historical documentation. But that's good enough for me to paint a picture of yet another dirty little era in the rich history of European domination of the western world in the land of the free and the former home of the braves. The native americans blew it but then they weren't dealt a particularly strong hand and then played it poorly but not to be faulted. I was embarrassed at my ignorance of the degree to which the Cherokee people took steps to adapt in the new world circumstances as well as the amount of inter-marriage and assimilation.
I am working my way through the book and don't find the writing particularly good. It seems like a pastiche of well-researched facts, historical novel and personal opinions with blurred lines among them. But it sure is interesting.
Finally finished this book. Not a particularly fun read. But the subject matter is so compelling and the presentation of facts so incredibly inconsistent with my naive appreciation of New World occupation that the content of this book just pulled me along.
Reading this book - or something pretty close to it - should be required to maintain citizenship.
June 2, 2008
I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it's obvious that the author did his homework; it's very well researched. On the other hand, I didn't find it to be a very readable book. I often lost track of the main characters and felt this was largely because the author didn't do a great job transitioning from one subject to the next. Also, I found his own intrepetations of what might have happened or what might have been going through one of the main actor's mind frequently unsubstantiated and confusing. Finally, I had a hard time following much of his research and often wondered about the accuracy -- knowing that history can never be one hundred percent objective -- of his representation of events.
September 10, 2012
I wanted to like this book. I really did.
I did finish reading it, but it was one of the most difficult to read books I have come across in a very long time. For anyone interested in this subject matter, there are other, much better, books. "Empire of the Summer Moon" about Quanah and the Comanches was fantastic! "Blood and Thunder" about the Navajos and Kit Carson was awesome too! I am a fan of this subject matter, even though it is quite obviously a tragic one. What "Manifest Destiny" did to all of the Native American tribes as the country spread West is something we should all know about.
There is never a way that these tribes can all be re-paid for what was taken from them: their lands, homes, health, dignity, hunting grounds, customs, traditions and heritage. At the very least, it should be taught better to America's youth in a more truthful and respectful way.
But, the truth remains that this author's style was not easy to read. At times it read like a non-fictional textbook. At other times, it got really "artsy" and poetry-like. Some pages shifted from one medium to another and then back again. It just all seemed so disjointed to me... Frankly, I think that it would have been a much better book if it was 100 or so pages shorter!
I will continue to look for another story about the Cherokees, because this one was obviously not the right one for me.
I did finish reading it, but it was one of the most difficult to read books I have come across in a very long time. For anyone interested in this subject matter, there are other, much better, books. "Empire of the Summer Moon" about Quanah and the Comanches was fantastic! "Blood and Thunder" about the Navajos and Kit Carson was awesome too! I am a fan of this subject matter, even though it is quite obviously a tragic one. What "Manifest Destiny" did to all of the Native American tribes as the country spread West is something we should all know about.
There is never a way that these tribes can all be re-paid for what was taken from them: their lands, homes, health, dignity, hunting grounds, customs, traditions and heritage. At the very least, it should be taught better to America's youth in a more truthful and respectful way.
But, the truth remains that this author's style was not easy to read. At times it read like a non-fictional textbook. At other times, it got really "artsy" and poetry-like. Some pages shifted from one medium to another and then back again. It just all seemed so disjointed to me... Frankly, I think that it would have been a much better book if it was 100 or so pages shorter!
I will continue to look for another story about the Cherokees, because this one was obviously not the right one for me.
July 31, 2011
My great, great grandfather volunteered to remove the Cherokees, so I bought this book to find out more about what he was commissioned to do. The book is called “Trail of Tears” and since I was only interested in the part my ancestor played, I thought I would only have to read half the book. Three quarters of the way through I realized the book’s subtitle is “The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation” and that I would probably be reading the whole book. Believe it or not, that was OK with me. I couldn’t put the book down. I wanted to know what happened to the Ridges, just as if this book were a novel. I’ve never read historical non-fiction before because I thought it would be boring, but this was not. Things I learned: the Indians really did make sport of killing people but they were changing their ways; that Andrew Jackson was an S.O.B. and not worthy of his picture on any denomination of U.S. currency.
September 18, 2011
I'm a third Cherokee so this book really means a lot to me. Using actual written documents from that time, it depicts the Cherokee Nation as it was before the White man began to enforce his ideals and beliefs. It's centered around one of the greatest Cherokees Major Ridge and his family as they grew, adopted the white man's ways, and then fought against Andrew Jackson in court to remain on their ancestral land. Trail of Tears takes the history of a great people and examines what life was like and to what extremes they went to in order to fit in with the white man society growing around them. It was a time of shame for the United States and a must read for any history enthusiast.
December 15, 2009
I had to do a summary of a pov on the trail of tears, and this book was among the armload of books I used for research. However, it is so good, I kept reading it. Eventually it played a part in my final term paper re Andrew Jackson's presidency.
This book is not biased. It gives due where the Cherokee are concerned, and the controversy between chief ross and major john ridge, who was a chief under ross. Another example is that Jackson was correct in wanting the Cherokee to follow state laws and not their own. What this book is about, is what occurred BEFORE the Trail of tears. Historically it is very valuable because it covers all surrounding issues re the Cherokee. Like they actually joined Jackson AGAINST Tecumseh.
Recommended for anyone interested in early american history, and of course native american history.
This book is not biased. It gives due where the Cherokee are concerned, and the controversy between chief ross and major john ridge, who was a chief under ross. Another example is that Jackson was correct in wanting the Cherokee to follow state laws and not their own. What this book is about, is what occurred BEFORE the Trail of tears. Historically it is very valuable because it covers all surrounding issues re the Cherokee. Like they actually joined Jackson AGAINST Tecumseh.
Recommended for anyone interested in early american history, and of course native american history.
June 7, 2020
We zoom in on a piece of history, the long walk of the Cherokee people from their ancestral lands in the east to the land assigned to them, by the U.S. government, in the west.
We see not just the forced evacuation and tragic march, we focus in on the individual people and decisions that led to this outcome. It doesn't become any less tragic but it takes on a great deal of depth and complexity with a lot of shades of gray.
Recommended
We see not just the forced evacuation and tragic march, we focus in on the individual people and decisions that led to this outcome. It doesn't become any less tragic but it takes on a great deal of depth and complexity with a lot of shades of gray.
Recommended
April 22, 2012
More than the Trail of Tears this is a very well written history of a crucial span of almost 100 years of the Cherokee and other tribe of the southeast. Their social life, the differing political current and their experiences with the 'whites' and more. Very comprehensive. The author is intentionally emotive or expressive at times but done very well. He also includes lots of original source material.
It also challenges a number of myths about the Cherokee and the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee were not appreciably becoming integrated in 'white' culture. A few half-bloods were, but not the vast majority were very traditional, never learning to speak English or read Cherokee. Sequoyah was honored for his creation of the Cherokee alphabet but was otherwise irrelevant to the history of his times, having little or no impact on the political and social developments of the tribe. Four hundred, not four thousand Cherokee died on the Trail of Tears and smallpox was not a factor for them. It was for one of the other five tribes however. The Trail of Tears would have been much more benign (as a removal process, not as an overall event in the history of the people, had it not been taken over from the U.S. Army and contracted out to the main chief of the Cherokee! The Cherokee did not live peacefully with their neighbors or among themselves. They were very warlike and violent towards their neighboring tribes and among themselves.
The main historical point, that the 'whites' were inhumane (racist), greedy, violent, unprincipled, undignified and uncouth, is reinforced throughout. The the Cherokee were exceptionally dignified, honest, etc. is also made manifest.
It also challenges a number of myths about the Cherokee and the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee were not appreciably becoming integrated in 'white' culture. A few half-bloods were, but not the vast majority were very traditional, never learning to speak English or read Cherokee. Sequoyah was honored for his creation of the Cherokee alphabet but was otherwise irrelevant to the history of his times, having little or no impact on the political and social developments of the tribe. Four hundred, not four thousand Cherokee died on the Trail of Tears and smallpox was not a factor for them. It was for one of the other five tribes however. The Trail of Tears would have been much more benign (as a removal process, not as an overall event in the history of the people, had it not been taken over from the U.S. Army and contracted out to the main chief of the Cherokee! The Cherokee did not live peacefully with their neighbors or among themselves. They were very warlike and violent towards their neighboring tribes and among themselves.
The main historical point, that the 'whites' were inhumane (racist), greedy, violent, unprincipled, undignified and uncouth, is reinforced throughout. The the Cherokee were exceptionally dignified, honest, etc. is also made manifest.
July 15, 2018
As a piece of history writing - regardless of subject matter - it's strong - well researched. The story is not known enough. I think it makes sense for people to read this now...enough said on that for now.
Sadly Ehle's great writing doesn't really take flight until the last chapter and the epilogue which on its own ranks a full 5. No way around it - it doesn't read easy for long periods of time and I swear the 6pt font (for longer references only etc.) was going to make me blind.
Read the Land Breakers from Ehle - much better writing in general.
The subject is nothing less than heartbreaking national embarrassment. Nobody is spared. If you are curious about this subject - and you should be - this is a must read.
Sadly Ehle's great writing doesn't really take flight until the last chapter and the epilogue which on its own ranks a full 5. No way around it - it doesn't read easy for long periods of time and I swear the 6pt font (for longer references only etc.) was going to make me blind.
Read the Land Breakers from Ehle - much better writing in general.
The subject is nothing less than heartbreaking national embarrassment. Nobody is spared. If you are curious about this subject - and you should be - this is a must read.
August 1, 2020
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I learned a lot of history that I had never heard before, some of it a bit surprising. But all of it supported the notion that whites are more important than anyone else. The attitudes and behaviors of a lot of the leaders in that time are appalling, though there were some that come through historically as being different, willing to learn and to treat all people as people. Maybe most upsetting is how the encouraged, and then forced, emigration caused the Cherokee people to turn on each other, and eventually resulted in mass murder in the new Indian lands in Oklahoma.
March 13, 2020
Engaging at times, but writing was all over, and in my opinion did not flow well at all. Nonetheless, this book captures a history of the Cherokee that starts in the 1700's and moves to the Trail of Tears. Hence the title, rise and fall of the Cherokee Nation.
I've been to the play "Unto These Hills" in Cherokee, NC. Recalling aspects of it, depicted Cherokee John Ross in a positive light, whereas, in this book, he comes across as an antagonist of sorts, with Major Ridge, his son John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot the favored characters.
Despite this it traces how the Cherokee lived, and how missionaries and other whites, tried to help educate them, etc, turning them from hunters/warriors in the wild, to landowners, educated citizens of the U.S. But as you read, this is more a minority of them.
The actual Trail of Tears part does not cover but several chapters. There are a lot of excerpts from key players, during this time, which adds credence, but as the author notes, some can be romanticized.
I've been to the play "Unto These Hills" in Cherokee, NC. Recalling aspects of it, depicted Cherokee John Ross in a positive light, whereas, in this book, he comes across as an antagonist of sorts, with Major Ridge, his son John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot the favored characters.
Despite this it traces how the Cherokee lived, and how missionaries and other whites, tried to help educate them, etc, turning them from hunters/warriors in the wild, to landowners, educated citizens of the U.S. But as you read, this is more a minority of them.
The actual Trail of Tears part does not cover but several chapters. There are a lot of excerpts from key players, during this time, which adds credence, but as the author notes, some can be romanticized.
January 19, 2024
The United States has a long, long, long history of taking land away from Native Americans, relocating them on parcels of land we’ve deemed valueless, then retaking the land we’ve given to them after discovering it actually does contain value, and relocating them somewhere else, a process that always results in vile, cruel injustice, and bloodshed.
The last paragraph is especially haunting, after Ehle described the ways in which so many lives were senselessly lost, he ends with “They and the Cherokees, the Choctaws, and Creeks, the government officers and missionaries, all walking into history, which is owned by us all,” a line that I think will stick with me forever, and is still heartbreakingly relevant today, seeing as we’re still forcibly taking land from Native Americans when we find anything of value to us on it.
The last paragraph is especially haunting, after Ehle described the ways in which so many lives were senselessly lost, he ends with “They and the Cherokees, the Choctaws, and Creeks, the government officers and missionaries, all walking into history, which is owned by us all,” a line that I think will stick with me forever, and is still heartbreakingly relevant today, seeing as we’re still forcibly taking land from Native Americans when we find anything of value to us on it.
June 30, 2013
The book was a bear to get through. I enjoy reading history books, but this was repetitive and monotonous in places. I did appreciate learing about the Cherokee nation, which is why I gave the book two stars instead of one. However, I do not believe I will read another book by this author again. Normally, I expect my history books to stick to the facts. I normally assume there will be some elaboration on the part of the author, but this was too much. Consistently, Mr. Ehle places words into the mouths of the individuals in the book, attempting to convey what they might be thinking or saying. I do not know if you would call this history, or historical fiction. In any case, it was not what I was expecting.
April 28, 2017
Being that I am part Cherokee (something my dad never let us forget), I always knew about the Trail of Tears. This book really goes into deep detail about everything leading up to and during the Trail of Tears. Super informative and interesting.
September 29, 2019
interesting content but i would have liked it if ehle had just made a decision on whether or not he wanted to make this nonfiction or historical fiction. too much switching between narratives as well as some sentences that just didn't make grammatical sense.
February 4, 2016
My father gave this book to me years ago. I think I was just getting out of high school. A touch of his fathers history. I only remember bits and pieces of it. I liked it though its sad.
August 29, 2020
I did not know about the Cherokee Nation and their History. I do now. An excellent read and a great History reference for research or Term paper. Enjoy!
August 29, 2020
It took awhile to get through the book. Because I’m obsessed with the Native American History and Culture this book provided a very in-depth look at the Cherokee Indians and what happened when “the white man wanted their 100,000 acres (Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.). In my travels I have noticed several Cherokee reservations in different states. That’s what happened when the white man moved them.
It was very interesting to me that the Cherokee Indians really tried to do their best to assimilate in the white mans world. The wealthier Indians even had Slaves which I have never heard before.
If your interest is in the Native American story this is as accurate as it gets with actuall letters, treaties, etc.
It was very interesting to me that the Cherokee Indians really tried to do their best to assimilate in the white mans world. The wealthier Indians even had Slaves which I have never heard before.
If your interest is in the Native American story this is as accurate as it gets with actuall letters, treaties, etc.
October 9, 2018
This is more of a review of the audio version on Recorded Book than the actual book itself, but authorized versions of the book represent the book itself.
I listened to about half of the book as read by John McDonough. The subject is interesting, but the actual reading turned out to be a cure for insomnia. McDonough paused too long when reading the sentences and read the book in a very monotone manner---which is impressive in and of itself because I didn't know that it was possible to speak with a British accent that flat.
I listened to about half of the book as read by John McDonough. The subject is interesting, but the actual reading turned out to be a cure for insomnia. McDonough paused too long when reading the sentences and read the book in a very monotone manner---which is impressive in and of itself because I didn't know that it was possible to speak with a British accent that flat.
December 16, 2020
Going down to the Smokies this Fall encouraged me to pick up this book and learn more about what happened in that area. A well detailed book for history buffs and Native American activists alike. Knowing more and more history of our country is eye opening and dark. Very sad to know what the Cherokee and other Native groups had to endure and unfortunately, still endure today. For someone like myself who doesn’t know a ton of American history, I got lost a few times on who certain people were but for the most part, a well written book that educates one about American History.
May 2, 2021
I learned a lot listening to this book. The story of the trail of tears that I learned as a kid was only slightly reminiscent of this story. I love learning new things and so I liked this book quite a bit as well.
November 20, 2020
Heart rending story.
August 5, 2020
This book has a lot of historical information. Very well written and interesting!!!
February 14, 2018
"The Trail of Tears" is something that is briefly mentioned in high school history books about the removal of the Cherokee people from the East to Cherokee territory in Oklahoma. However, as I remember, the history books gave very little detail of how and why this happened. In recent years, Andrew Jackson has received a lot of the blame for this, going so far as a move to remove him from the 20-dollar bill and replace him with Harriet Tubman (this has not happened yet and given President Trump's praise of Jackson, I doubt if it will happen anytime soon - Trump is often seen with a portrait of Jackson in his office).
This book was sometimes hard to read with a somewhat stilted style, but it gave a very good history of the Cherokee people including their beliefs and rituals and how they lived in the South prior to their removal. I was surprised to learn that many of the Cherokee chiefs were half-breeds with European lineages. Some of them also operated large plantations which included slavery. Many of the tribe also adopted English names and converted to Christianity. The book focuses on two factions of the tribe. One led by Major Ridge, who had actually fought with Jackson during the War of 1812. He and his sons eventually agreed that the Cherokees should sign a treaty and go peaceably to land west of the Mississippi. The other faction was led by Chief John Ross who adamantly opposed any move and tried unsuccessfully to get the government in Washington to agree with him. Ridge and his sons did make a treaty with the government and agreed to move which was ratified even though the majority of the tribe disagreed with it.
So why were the Cherokees forced to leave? Basically, because of the greed of whites in Georgia and the government who wanted their land and possessions. This did include Jackson who had for years stated that the Indians needed to be relocated to the west. As one witness in the book stated:
"A whole Indian nation abandons the pagan practices of their ancestors, adopts the Christian religion, uses books printed in their own language, submits to the government of their elders, builds houses and temples of worship, relies upon agriculture for their support, and produces men of great ability to rule over them, and to whom they give a willing obedience. Are not these the great principles of civilization? They are driven from their religious and social state then, not because they cannot be civilized, but because a pseudo set of civilized beings, who are too strong for them, want their possessions!"
The Cherokee had adopted many of the white ways through missionary work by different Christian factions and had in many ways been assimilated into society. This included the work of Sequoya in developing a written Cherokee language. However, many of the full-bloods did not agree to be assimilated and they were the ones who agreed with John Ross that they should not leave. The government originally wanted to move the Indians by way of the rivers to the west and many took advantage of this early on - mostly the followers of Chief Ridge. However, those that stayed behind until the last went by land as agreed to by John Ross and this is where many died and the trip became the "Trail of Tears." Ross himself and his family did use the river route to move. There were different estimates of the death count ranging from 400 to 4000. Some of this could have been avoided if the tribe had agreed to use the river and move before they were forced to leave. Once the Cherokee arrived in the West, there continued to be squabbles between the two factions which resulted in tragedy for the Ridge family.
Overall, this was a good history of the Cherokee and their fate. I learned a lot from reading this but as I said earlier, the writing was sometimes hard to get through. But I would recommend this to anyone interested in Native American history.
This book was sometimes hard to read with a somewhat stilted style, but it gave a very good history of the Cherokee people including their beliefs and rituals and how they lived in the South prior to their removal. I was surprised to learn that many of the Cherokee chiefs were half-breeds with European lineages. Some of them also operated large plantations which included slavery. Many of the tribe also adopted English names and converted to Christianity. The book focuses on two factions of the tribe. One led by Major Ridge, who had actually fought with Jackson during the War of 1812. He and his sons eventually agreed that the Cherokees should sign a treaty and go peaceably to land west of the Mississippi. The other faction was led by Chief John Ross who adamantly opposed any move and tried unsuccessfully to get the government in Washington to agree with him. Ridge and his sons did make a treaty with the government and agreed to move which was ratified even though the majority of the tribe disagreed with it.
So why were the Cherokees forced to leave? Basically, because of the greed of whites in Georgia and the government who wanted their land and possessions. This did include Jackson who had for years stated that the Indians needed to be relocated to the west. As one witness in the book stated:
"A whole Indian nation abandons the pagan practices of their ancestors, adopts the Christian religion, uses books printed in their own language, submits to the government of their elders, builds houses and temples of worship, relies upon agriculture for their support, and produces men of great ability to rule over them, and to whom they give a willing obedience. Are not these the great principles of civilization? They are driven from their religious and social state then, not because they cannot be civilized, but because a pseudo set of civilized beings, who are too strong for them, want their possessions!"
The Cherokee had adopted many of the white ways through missionary work by different Christian factions and had in many ways been assimilated into society. This included the work of Sequoya in developing a written Cherokee language. However, many of the full-bloods did not agree to be assimilated and they were the ones who agreed with John Ross that they should not leave. The government originally wanted to move the Indians by way of the rivers to the west and many took advantage of this early on - mostly the followers of Chief Ridge. However, those that stayed behind until the last went by land as agreed to by John Ross and this is where many died and the trip became the "Trail of Tears." Ross himself and his family did use the river route to move. There were different estimates of the death count ranging from 400 to 4000. Some of this could have been avoided if the tribe had agreed to use the river and move before they were forced to leave. Once the Cherokee arrived in the West, there continued to be squabbles between the two factions which resulted in tragedy for the Ridge family.
Overall, this was a good history of the Cherokee and their fate. I learned a lot from reading this but as I said earlier, the writing was sometimes hard to get through. But I would recommend this to anyone interested in Native American history.
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