From Beginning to End
The Trail of Tears is one of the most infamous events in America's History, known for the gruesome accounts of death and it's stories of survival. While many know the basics of the crisis, most do not delve deep into the violations the American government permitted. One of the most blatant examples is the contrast between the happenings and causing of the Trail and the Declaration of Independence. Written in 1776, this document was followed and respected for almost a century before this development. The Declaration states, " We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." However, this statement, which is now regarded as one of the most famous statements in America's history, seems to have been lost during the consideration of the Native Americans' removal.
The following are definitions of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness in regard to the Declaration of Independence.
"The right to life is the source of all rights—and the right to property is their only implementation. Without property rights, no other rights are possible. Since man has to sustain his life by his own effort, the man who has no right to the product of his effort has no means to sustain his life. The man who produces while others dispose of his product, is a slave."
"Freedom, in a political context, has only one meaning: the absence of physical coercion."
"The Right to the Pursuit of Happiness means man’s right to live for himself, to choose what constitutes his own private, personal, individual happiness and to work for its achievement, so long as he respects the same right in others."
In the end, the Native Americans were deprived of these rights, this much is obvious. Their land that they had been living on for centuries, sustaining, hunting on, was taken from them. That land had a history to the Indians, years of legends, multiple generations, and artifacts, all of it was ripped from them. Men, women, and children were physically forced out of their homes, where they should have had freedom, or at least been able to take a stand. No choice was given to the Indians. Whatever way American government wanted to handle the situation was enacted. Even when the Dawes Severalty Act was passed in attempt to give back to the Indians, little thought was given to what could be done to help them.
This time period was dark for the early United States of America, its focus was on expanding, and it unfortunately paid little attention to what was in its way. It is our responsibility as United States citizens to protect the rights of all people, no matter what the cost. Ignoring to do so will result in horrible events such as the Trail of Tears. It is our job to learn from our past mistakes and grow from them, in order to provide protection for all people. Although the rights of the Native Americans who suffered through the tragic journey eventually were given back their rights, the people of that time hesitated for far too long. Fortunately many of the later generations of those who walked the Trail live in reservations and are protected; however, they will always remember the tragedy their ancestors suffered.
The following are definitions of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness in regard to the Declaration of Independence.
"The right to life is the source of all rights—and the right to property is their only implementation. Without property rights, no other rights are possible. Since man has to sustain his life by his own effort, the man who has no right to the product of his effort has no means to sustain his life. The man who produces while others dispose of his product, is a slave."
"Freedom, in a political context, has only one meaning: the absence of physical coercion."
"The Right to the Pursuit of Happiness means man’s right to live for himself, to choose what constitutes his own private, personal, individual happiness and to work for its achievement, so long as he respects the same right in others."
In the end, the Native Americans were deprived of these rights, this much is obvious. Their land that they had been living on for centuries, sustaining, hunting on, was taken from them. That land had a history to the Indians, years of legends, multiple generations, and artifacts, all of it was ripped from them. Men, women, and children were physically forced out of their homes, where they should have had freedom, or at least been able to take a stand. No choice was given to the Indians. Whatever way American government wanted to handle the situation was enacted. Even when the Dawes Severalty Act was passed in attempt to give back to the Indians, little thought was given to what could be done to help them.
This time period was dark for the early United States of America, its focus was on expanding, and it unfortunately paid little attention to what was in its way. It is our responsibility as United States citizens to protect the rights of all people, no matter what the cost. Ignoring to do so will result in horrible events such as the Trail of Tears. It is our job to learn from our past mistakes and grow from them, in order to provide protection for all people. Although the rights of the Native Americans who suffered through the tragic journey eventually were given back their rights, the people of that time hesitated for far too long. Fortunately many of the later generations of those who walked the Trail live in reservations and are protected; however, they will always remember the tragedy their ancestors suffered.