The Consequences of the Trail of Tears
The effects of 1830s policies on Native Americans are still felt today.
What Was the Trail of Tears?
In 1838, the Cherokee nation is forced to walk more than 1000 miles from Georgia to the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). The Trail of Tears march caused the death of more than 4,000 Cherokee people.
Evacuating the Cherokee People
On the morning of May 26th, 1838, the United States began removing Cherokee from their homes in Georgia. Everything that wasn't actually on the person now belonged to the state, and the Cherokee were forced out onto the roads with whatever they had on their backs.
Will the Cherokee Be Exiled?
Ratified by the US in 1836, the treaty of New Echota required the Cherokee to move out west. They were told they had two years to remove themselves peacefully.
Are the Cherokee an Independent Nation?
In 1832 the United States Supreme Court recognized Cherokee sovereignty, thanks to the hard work done by leaders such as John Ridge.
Creating a Written Alphabet for the Cherokee
Sequoyah was devoted to enabling the Cherokee people to have the power that comes with a written language, a power held by the white man. Though he couldn't read or write in another language, Sequoyah invented an efficient language for the Cherokee.
"Civilization" and Native Americans
White Americans offered Native Americans equality -- if they became more like them. Missionary organizations went into the Indian nations to teach Indians how to be anglo-Americans.
The Lobotomist Preview
In the 1940s Dr. Walter Freeman gained fame for perfecting the lobotomy, then hailed as a miracle cure for the severely mentally ill. But within a few years, lobotomy was labeled one of the most barbaric mistakes of modern medicine.
Hernandez v. Texas: A Great Moment in American History
This 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Hernandez v. Texas, was a major civil rights achievement, giving Mexican-Americans equal protection under U.S. law.
A History Lesson for the Supreme Court
The 1954 Supreme Court had little awareness of what life was like for Mexican-Americans.
Are Mexicans White?
In the 1950s, Mexican-Americans took to the courts to get equality under the law, including the right to be tried by a jury of their peers.
Inequality in the Courthouse
In 1953, The lawyers in Hernandez v. Texas argued for their client as well as for themselves.
Mexican-Americans in World War II
Hundreds of thousands of Mexican-Americans fought in the US military in World War II. They suffered casualties and received honors disproportionate to their numbers, but came home to the same segregated country they had left.
The Birth and Growth of Racism against Mexican-Americans
Racist attitudes against Mexican-Americans intensified in the 20th Century. Of mixed Spanish and Indian ancestry, Mexican-Americans did not fit into iron-clad racial categories: black or white.
Discrimination against Mexican-Americans
In the 1950s life could be difficult for Latinos in the United States.
Chapter 1 | The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Watch a preview of The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Behind the Scenes With David Strathairn
Learn more about the filming of The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
From the film Freedom Riders: The Media, part 2
In a news report from Herb Kaplow, the reporter recounts his experience when covering a Freedom Ride. "The mob came out and went straight to the reporters, and started beating them and kicking them and throwing their cameras down, smashing them on the ground." After the reporters were forced away, the mob turned on the Freedom Riders.
From the film Freedom Riders: The Media, part 1
Rioters turn violent against the Freedom Riders despite the presence of the media. The resulting photographs were "about as dramatic as anything I think anyone had ever seen coming out of the Civil Rights struggle," says Ray Arsenault. "The notion that just for the attempt to sit on the front of a bus, that you could risk your life, that people could try to burn you to death was incredible."
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