The Trail of Tears is the name used to describe the forced migration of the Cherokee people in the 1830s from their homelands in the southeastern United States to land in what's now Oklahoma. This devastating journey took the lives of thousands of Native Americans, and it's one of the most shameful chapters in American history. Detailed main text, supported by enlightening sidebars and primary sources, gives readers a clear picture of the reasons the Cherokee people were forced from their homes and what happened to them on the difficult journey west.