In the early 1830s, the U.S. government signed into law one of the most devastating policies in its history—The Indian Removal Act, forcing tens of thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands.What followed was a harrowing journey of betrayal, suffering, and death known as The Trail of Tears. In this episode of Disturbing History, Brian traces the brutal expulsion of the Cherokee and other Southeastern tribes at the hands of the American government. Under President Andrew Jackson’s directive, entire communities were marched west at gunpoint—across freezing rivers, through disease-ridden camps, and along miles of unforgiving terrain. We explore: The political motivations behind Indian Removal The resistance efforts led by the Cherokee Nation The forced marches and staggering death toll And the long-lasting scars this event left on Native peoples—and on America itself This isn’t just a story of relocation. It’s a story of calculated erasure—of promises broken, cultures shattered, and the dark price of expansion.Because sometimes, the past isn’t forgotten by accident. Sometimes, it’s buried on purpose.
