Unit

Plan: Manifest Destiny

Social Justice Goals:
How will this unit address important social justice themes?
Students will analyze multiple perspectives of the Trail of Tears and the Lewis and Clark expedition
Modifications and scaffolding will be provided so that all students can access the material
Primary sources documents will consist of text and images so that multiple intelligences are
accessed and students of different strengths can demonstrate their ability

Standard(s) Addressed:
What common core, content, and ELD standards will be used as the basis for this unit?

8.5.3 Outline the major treaties with American Indian nations during the administrations of the first four presidents and the varying
outcomes of those treaties.
8.8.2 Describe the purpose, challenges, and economic incentives associated with westward expansion, including the concept of
Manifest Destiny (e.g., the Lewis and Clark expedition, accounts of the removal of Indians, the Cherokees Trail of Tears) and the
territorial acquisitions that spanned numerous decades.
CCSS R1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
CCSS W1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Concepts/Thematic Goals/Essential Questions:
What are the enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for this unit?
Quality of information provided by Primary v. Secondary sources
Land was gained by white settlers at the expense of Native American culture, homelands, and population
How Manifest Destiny affected relations with Native Americans and Mexico
Student Learning Objectives (include literacy, ELL, academic language and technology):
What do you want students to know and be able to do? How will you incorporate literacy and technology,
as well as the needs of English Language Learners and students with special needs into this unit?

Summarize key aspect of Jacksons Indian Policy and his opposition to the Supreme Court.
Analyze primary source documents related to the Trail of Tears.
Compare the differences between Primary and Secondary sources.
Explain how the United States made five key territorial acquisitions from 1803 to 1853.
Explain the concept of Manifest Destiny and how it was used to justify U.S. expansion during this time period.
Debate what the United States should have done in case of territorial acquisition of Texas and Oregon, using historical facts and
personal values.
Analyze primary source documents related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Debate whether Lewis and Clark were respectful to Native Americans on their journey.

Assessment(s):
What formative and summative assessments will students engage in during the unit? What will the
individual student produce or do to demonstrate achievement of the standard(s), concept, and learning
objectives? How will you know what your students understand?
Trail of Tears: students will participate in group discussion to answer guiding questions, class discussion
will let me know what students understand, answers will be written in student notebooks and graded by
the teacher
Manifest Destiny: Students will complete graphic organizing detailing the acquisition and location of each
territory
Texas Independence: Students will complete a graphic organizer to make a claim about Why Texans
declared independence select evidence, interpret and justify it.

Timeline and sequence of unit:

What are the major steps of the unit? What is the range and sequence of topics to be addressed in the
unit?

Unit Design
Standards

Time
Resources Needed
Addressed
Learning Segment
I. Jan 26
Jacksons Indian Policy: Trail of Tears
8.5.3


I. Introduce Primary/Secondary Source
8.8.2
Laptop, PowerPoint, projector

Reference PowerPoint to explain
CCSS W1


difference between primary/secondary



sources
II. Jan 26
History Alive! textbook, student
II. History Alive! 14.7

Class reading of textbook account of Trail
notebook, pencil, projector

of Tears



Class notes on main points/dates of Trail


of Tears
III. Jan 26- Smartboard, laptop, PowerPoint,
III. Gallery Walk
27
small group handout, Samuels
Teacher model 1 SMM for political

cartoon
Memory document, student

In small groups students complete SMM
notebook, pencil, projector

for 7 stations


IV. Analyzing Primary Sources
IV. Jan 29


Samuels Memory
Smartboard, laptop, PowerPoint,

Preview vocab and Trail of Tears map

small group handout, student
Teacher read aloud of story

Small group discussion of primary source
notebook, pencil, projector

Group speakers share out to class, write
Outline poster

answers in student notebooks


John Ross Painting
Small group discussion of primary source
Group speakers share out to class, write
answers in student notebooks
V. Processing Assignment
Newspaper article on Trail of Tears
referencing two primary sources
Manifest Destiny: Acquisition of Territories

I. Concept of Manifest Destiny
Evaluate painting American Progress by
John Gast
o Explain symbolism in painting and
concept of Manifest Destiny
II. Group Completion of Graphic Organizer
Teacher models first 3 territorial
acquisitions
In small groups students complete graphic
organizer
Silent gallery walk of advertisements
Processing Assignment: Advertisement for one
Territorial Acquisition giving 2 points of
background for territory, how it was acquired,
2 reasons settlers should move there, graphic
and art to make it pretty!

V. Feb 2-3

8.5.3
8.8.2
CCSS R1

I. Feb 5




II. Feb 5,9,
10

Graphic Organizer
Map handout
Laptop
SmartBoard
History Alive!

III. SHEG Texas Independence

Short video on Texas Revolution
Mini-Lecture on chronology on Texas
Independence
Inquiry question: Why did Texans declare
independence from Mexico in 1836?
o Elicit preliminary responses
Do documents A, B & C as a class
Students finish document D in pairs
Class Discussion:
o Why did Texans declare
independence? Were Texans
justified in declaring
independence? Were these
honorable men fighting for
freedom or slaveholders? What
evidence supports your claim?
o Finish graphic organizer
o Sentence starters displayed for
class discussion
Processing Assignment: Letter to the editor:
Pretend you are a Texan, write a letter to the
editor explaining why you do or do not want
independence from Mexico.

III. Feb 12,

16

Documents A-D
Document graphic organizer
Argument template graphic
organizer
Laptop
SmartBoard

Rationale:
Why have you chosen these goals, concepts, assessments, and topics for your unit?
I want students to start practicing analyzing documents, forming and supporting their own arguments. The
Texas Independence lesson provides an opportunity for students to evaluate multiple perspectives of the
same event.

Bibliography:
What sources will you use in this unit? Be specific (i.e. list page numbers if appropriate)
Stanford History Education Group: Texas Independence lesson
History Alive! The United States Through Industrialization

Secondary Learning Segment Lesson Plan Template

Unit Title: Manifest Destiny

Learning Segment: Trail of Tears

PLANNING FOR THE LEARNING SEGMENT

Key Content Standard(s)- Content, Common Core & ELD: List the complete text of only the relevant parts of each standard.
TPE 1
CCSS R1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from
the text.
CCSS W2b Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

Learning Objective: What do you want students to know and be able to do at the end of this lesson? TPE 1
Know the difference between primary and secondary sources
Be familiar with the routines of small group discussion
Be able to compare the different information provided in a primary vs. secondary source
Analyze primary source documents
Participate in analytical historical discourse (specifically, referencing evidence in their documents to support their
argument)
Assessments- Formal and Informal: How will you assess if and what students are learning? TPE 2
Circulating during small group discussion; listening, asking and answering questions (informal)
Reviewing group handout (informal)
Checking/grading student notebooks for completeness/content of multi-level questions (formal)
Newspaper article on the Trail of Tears (formal)
Modifications, Accommodations, Scaffolding- How will you adjust your instruction and assessments to meet the diverse needs
of students (esp. language learners and/or special needs)? TPE 4 and 7
Vocabulary preview
Teacher read aloud for pronunciation and tone
Graphic organizers
Explicit step by step instruction for discussion and group roles
Teacher guided class discussion after small group discussion
Prerequisite Skills and Knowledge and Experiential Backgrounds. TPE 8
How will you access and activate students prior knowledge and connect to students lived experiences?
Including a primary source from the perspective of a child
Referencing previously completed periodic assessment vocabulary
Academic Language
Vocabulary:
Unit-Specific
Civilized
Endure
Bayonet
Recollection
Stockade

General Academic
Primary source
Secondary source
Compare
Analyze
Graphic organizer

Other text structures, organizational, stylistic, or grammatical features that will be explicitly taught:
Say, Mean, Matter
o
o

Daily Lesson Plans

Day 1 of 4 (Jan 26)

Instructional Learning Strategies to Support Student Learning. TPEs1,4,5,6,9,10

How will you 1) stimulate/motivate students by connecting the lesson to experiential backgrounds, interests and prior learning, 2)identify learning outcomes 3)present
material, guide practice, and build independent learning, 4)monitor student learning during instruction, 5) build metacognitive understanding.

List what the students will be doing and what the teacher will be doing.

15 min

Opening/
Engagement

Time

10 min

Instructional Activities

35 min

Instructional Activities

15 min

Lesson
Resources/
Materials TPE4
I. Do-Now (Think-Ink-Pair-Share)
I. Do-Now (Think Ink Pair Share)
Laptop
Enter class and take their seats
Pass out notebooks while students are PowerPoint
Projector
writing
Answer Do-Now question on provided
Notecards
notecard: What do you think it means Initiate Pair Share
Notebooks
to be civilized?
After Think tell students you will be
Equity Sticks
Pair Share
randomly selecting names for sharing

Walk room while students are paired
Use equity sticks to call on students
II. History Alive! 14.7
II. History Alive! 14.7
SmartBoard
View PP
Quickly review PP slides from
Projector
Thursday
Copy notes on main points/date of
Teacher NB
Trail of Tears into student notebook Finish final slide on Trail of Tears
Student NBs
from PowerPoint
Pencil
III. Gallery Walk
III. Gallery Walk
Laptop
Homework monitor and helper passes
Check students notebook table of
PowerPoint
contents and graphic organizer
out Say Mean Matter graphic organizer
Graphic
and glue to class
Introduce Say Mean Matter on
Organizer
PowerPoint (thumbs up/down for
Add Native American Removal Gallery
Teacher NB
understanding)
Walk pg. 5 to Table of Contents
Student NBs
Explain gallery walk: WHISPER
Glue Graphic organizer to pg. 5
Pencils
activity, say mean matter PPwill be
Thumbs up/down for understanding of
Equity Sticks
displayed for reference, point to
Say Mean Matter
different stations around the room, each
Listen to instructions for gallery walk
is numbered, different historians will be
Walk to starting station according to
starting at different stations
group shown in PowerPoint

Are there any questions before we

Fill out graphic organizer at each station
begin?
After visiting all 8 stations return to seat
Display PP slide with group/station
assignments
Set timer for 3 minutes and tell students
to rotate to the next station for all 8
stations

Students

IV. Gallery Walk Discussion (Think Pair

Share)
View first 3 questions on PP: What
image or quote stuck out to you the
most? Why? How did it make you feel?
Think Pair Share
Silent applause to agree with someone
Raise hand and wait to be called on to
add on to what someone else shared
View 4th question on PP: Now that you
have done the gallery walk, is there
something you want to learn more
about?
Think Pair Share
Silent applause to agree with someone
Raise hand and wait to be called on to
add on to what someone else shared

Teacher Moves

IV. Gallery Walk Discussion (Think Pair

Share)
Explain we are going to do a Think
Pair Share about the gallery walk
After Think Pair tell students you will
be randomly selecting names for sharing
If you want to agree with what
someone is sharing you can use our
silent applause signal (demonstrate)
If you want to add on to what someone
shared raise your hand and wait to be
called on
Use equity sticks to call on students
Allow for flow of discussion if students
raise hands to add on
Take notes on student answers to
question 4 to incorporate student voice
in later lessons

Projector
Smartboard
Laptop
PowerPoint
Equity Sticks

Closing

Instructional Activities

20 min

10 min

V. Finish Say Mean Matter in pairs

Copy teacher model and participate by
raising hand
Whispering with elbow buddy and
working together to help each other
finish their say mean matter (will be
completed on Tuesday)

V. Finish Say Mean Matter in pairs

Model completion of Say Mean
Matter chart for first two stations
Instruct students that they will now work
to finish their Say Mean Matter chart
in pairs (will be completed on Tuesday)

Exit Slip
Exit Slip
Students write their answers on the bank Pass out letter home and video consent
of their Do-Now:
form: explain to students
What did you learn today? I learned
Display exit slip questions on
PowerPoint
How did you feel about gallery walk
today? I felt because
Explain that students will write at least
one thing they learned and how they felt
Students hand exit slip to teacher as they
about gallery walk today.
leave
Instruct students to pack up and turn in
exit slips as they leave
Have a great day, historians

Daily Lesson Plans

Day 2 of 4 (Jan 29)
Instructional Learning Strategies to Support Student Learning. TPEs1,4,5,6,9,10
How will you 1) stimulate/motivate students by connecting the lesson to experiential backgrounds, interests and prior learning, 2)identify learning outcomes 3)present
material, guide practice, and build independent learning, 4)monitor student learning during instruction, 5) build metacognitive understanding.

List what the students will be doing and what the teacher will be doing.

10 minutes

Opening/
Engagement

Time

Lesson
Resources/
Materials TPE4
I. Do-Now (Think Ink Pair Share)
I. Do-Now (Think Ink Pair Share)
Laptop
Enter class and take their seats
Pass out notebooks while students are PowerPoint
Projector
writing
Answer Do-Now question on provided
Notecards
notecard: If you had been president
Initiate Pair Share
instead of Andrew Jackson, what
Walk room while students are paired Notebooks
Equity Sticks
would you have done about the
After Think Pair tell students you will
conflict between white settlers and
be randomly selecting names for sharing
Native Americans?
(using equity sticks)
Pair Share

Students

Teacher Moves

Instructional Activities

45 min

Closing

5 min

II. Samuels Memory

Preview vocab and Trail of Tears
map
View Route of Indian Removal Map
and respond to teacher questions
View historical context of Samuels
Memory and raise hand if you have a
question
Listen to teacher read aloud of
Samuels Memory while following
along
Break into small group
Small group discussion of Samuels
Memory
Group speakers share out to class

II. Samuels Memory

Preview vocabulary with students,
review words and definitions
Show Routes of Indian removal map
Pose questions to class: What do you
notice about this map? Compare the
difference in size of the Cherokee land
in yellow and red.
Provide historical context for Samuels
Memory, pass out copy of story to each
student

Are there any questions before I read

aloud?
Explain group roles, that they will have
5 minutes to answer question 1 and 2, 7
minutes to answer question 3, and 7
minutes to answer question 4
Show diagram for group locations
Pass out group worksheet packets
Use timer to transition students to next
question
Visit tables during discussion
Ask group speakers to share answers
with class
Exit Slip
Exit Slip
Students write their answers on the back Display exit slip questions on
of their Do-Now
PowerPoint
How did you feel about small group
Explain that students will write at least
discussion today? I felt because
one thing they learned and how they felt
about small group discussion.
Students hand exit slip to teacher as they
Instruct students to pack up and turn in
leave What did you learn today? I
learned
exit slips as they leave

Have a great day, historians

SmartBoard
Projector
Teacher NB
Student NBs
Pencil
Laptop
PowerPoint
Graphic
Organizer
Teacher NB
Student NBs
Pencils
Equity Sticks

Daily Lesson Plans

Day 3 of 4 (Feb 2)
Instructional Learning Strategies to Support Student Learning. TPEs1,4,5,6,9,10
How will you 1) stimulate/motivate students by connecting the lesson to experiential backgrounds, interests and prior learning, 2)identify learning outcomes 3)present
material, guide practice, and build independent learning, 4)monitor student learning during instruction, 5) build metacognitive understanding.

List what the students will be doing and what the teacher will be doing.

5 min

Opening/
Engagement

Time

Lesson
Resources/
Materials TPE4
I. Do-Now (Think Ink Pair Share)
I. Do-Now (Think Ink Pair Share)
Smartboard
Enter class and take their seats
Pass out notebooks while students are PowerPoint
Laptop
writing
Answer Do-Now question on provided
Notecards
notecard:
Student NBs

Students

Teacher Moves

II. John Ross, a Cherokee Chief

Students stay in groups and turn towards
teacher at front of class
Imagine a Native American, pair
share, raise hand to share
View painting of John Ross, raise hand
to answer teacher questions
Turn back to small groups
Group speakers share out to class
Materials Manager returns group
worksheets
Return to individual seats

55 min

III. Newspaper Article Outline

Homework monitor passes out article
outline, primary source sheet, rubric
Write who, what, when, where, why in
outline
Underline two quotes that stand out to
them
Work on outline independently
Homework monitor collects outlines

Instructional Activities

Instructional Activities

35 min

Closing

10 min

II. John Ross, a Cherokee Chief

Like we did on Thursday, close your
eyes and imagine a Native American.
What are they wearing? What is their
home like? What is their life like?
Think Pair Share, called on raised
hands for sharing
Show picture of John Ross: What do
you notice? Be specific. What surprises
you?
Provide historical context and direct
students back to their small group
discussion
You have 5 minutes each for #1-3, and
8 minutes for #4
Walk tables during small group
Use timer to transition students to the
next question
Visit tables during discussion
Ask group speakers to share answers
with class
Tell historians to return to their
individual seats
III. Newspaper Article Outline
Go over News Article directions, rubric,
and outline
Lead class to find who, what, when
where, why for T of T
Prompt students to underline two quotes
from primary sources that are
meaningful to them
Monitor tables during individual work
time
Collect outlines

Exit Slip
Exit Slip
Students write their answers on the back Display exit slip questions on
of their Do-Now: 1) What do you like or
PowerPoint
not like about working in small groups?
Explain that students will write at least
Why? I (do not) like because 2)
one thing they learned and how they felt
What did you learn today? Today I
about small group discussion.
learned
Instruct students to pack up and leave
Students pack up and leave exit slips at
exit slips at their desks
their desk

SmartBoard
Projector
Pencil
Laptop
PowerPoint
Graphic
Organizer

SmartBoard
Projector
Pencil
Laptop
PowerPoint
Graphic
Organizer

Daily Lesson Plans

Day 4 of 4 (Feb 3)
Instructional Learning Strategies to Support Student Learning. TPEs1,4,5,6,9,10
How will you 1) stimulate/motivate students by connecting the lesson to experiential backgrounds, interests and prior learning, 2)identify learning outcomes 3)present
material, guide practice, and build independent learning, 4)monitor student learning during instruction, 5) build metacognitive understanding.

List what the students will be doing and what the teacher will be doing.

35 min

Opening/Engagement
Instructional Activities

Time

Closing

5 min

Students
I. Finish Outline
Homework monitor passes out corrected
outlines
Finish outlines individually
Peer edit using rubric

II. Final Template

Homework monitor passes out final
template
Students pack up and exit when teacher
permits

Teacher Moves
I. Finish Outline
Give corrected outlines to homework
monitor to pass out
Tell students to finish their outlines
individually
Instruct elbow buddies to peer edit,
checking off rubric with a pencil
II. Final Template
Give final template to homework
monitor to pass out
Instruct students to complete final draft
of article as homework due next
Tuesday (Feb 10)

Lesson
Resources/
Materials TPE4
Outlines
Rubrics
Pencils

TRAIL OF TEARS SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION DIRECTIONS

SMALL GROUP ROLES for TRAIL OF TEARS DISCUSSION
Facilitator/Harmonizer: Makes sure that all voices are heard and everyone has opportunity
to answer and ask questions. Keeps group on track by referring back to the questions on
handout. Transitions group into next parts of activity.
Group Leader: Assigns group roles and makes sure each group member participates.
Scribe: Takes notes in graphic organizer to document groups ideas/answers. (Note: pick
someone with neat handwriting)
Materials Manager: Make sure that this folder gets back to Ms. Bunn at the end of the
activity or period.
Group Speaker: Shares their groups discussion question answers with the class.
Before Discussion
1. Group Leader assigns group roles.
2. Scribe fills out graphic organizer below.
Group Role

Student Name

Facilitator/Harmonizer
Discussion Leader

Scribe

Materials Manager
Group Speaker

During Discussion
1. Scribe takes notes of groups discussion/answers in graphic organizer on other
side of this page.
2. Facilitator/Harmonizer makes sure that all voices are heard and everyone has the
opportunity to answer and ask questions.
3. All group members are expected to participate in the discussion.
4. Ms. Bunn will visit with each group to check-in, listen, and answer questions.

Document A: Samuels Memory: Discussion Questions and Notes

1. How were Samuels
family and friends
treated by the soldiers
who captured them?
2. What is Samuels
attitude toward the
soldiers guarding his
people?

3. Compare the text of

Samuels Memory to
History Alive!s
description of the Trail
of Tears (write 3
differences and/or
similarities)
4. What information can be
obtained from a primary
source like Samuels
Memory that may be
lacking in a secondary
source history textbook?

Document B: Painting of John Ross: Discussion Questions and Notes

1. How does the artist
portray (show) Rosss
position of authority
within the Cherokee
Nation?
2. How does the painting of
Ross compare to other
representations (images,
descriptions, etc.) of
Native Americans?
3. What clues from the
painting suggest (show
that it is true) that Ross
is of Cherokee heritage?
4. How could this painting
of John Ross be used to
support arguments that
the Cherokee should not
be removed from their
native lands?

Document A: Samuels Memory:

It is Spring. The leaves are on the trees. I am playing with my friends when white men in
uniforms ride up to our home. My mother calls me. I can tell by her voice that something is
wrong. Some of the men ride off. My mother tells me to gather my things, but the men don't
allow us time to get anything. They enter our home and begin knocking over pottery and looking
into everything. My mother and I are taken by several men to where their horses are and are held
there at gun point. The men who rode off return with my father, Elijah. They have taken his rifle
and he is walking toward us.
I can feel his anger and frustration. There is nothing he can do. From my mother I feel fear. I am
filled with fear, too. What is going on? I was just playing, but now my family and my friends'
families are gathered together and told to walk at the point of a bayonet.
We walk a long ways. My mother does not let me get far from her. My father is walking by the
other men, talking in low, angry tones. The soldiers look weary, as though they'd rather be
anywhere else but here.
They lead us to a stockade. They herd us into this pen like we are cattle. No one was given time
to gather any possessions. The nights are still cold in the mountains and we do not have enough
blankets to go around. My mother holds me at night to keep me warm. That is the only time I
feel safe. I feel her pull me to her tightly. I feel her warm breath in my hair. I feel her softness as
I fall asleep at night.
As the days pass, more and more of our people are herded into the stockade. I see other members
of my clan. We children try to play, but the elders around us are anxious and we do not know
what to think. I often sit and watch the others around me. I observe the guards. I try not to think
about my hunger. I am cold.
Several months have passed and still we are in the stockades. My father looks tired. He talks
with the other men, but no one seems to know what to do or what is going to happen. We hear
that white men have moved into our homes and are farming our fields. What will happen to us?
We are to march west to join the Western Cherokees. I don't want to leave these mountains.
My mother, my aunts and uncles take me aside one day. "Your father died last night," they tell
me. My mother and my father's clan members are crying, but I do not understand what this
means. I saw him yesterday. He was sick, but still alive. It doesn't seem real. Nothing seems real.
I don't know what any of this means. It seems like yesterday, I was playing with my friends.
It is now Fall. It seems like forever since I was clean. The stockade is nothing but mud. In the
morning it is stiff with frost. By mid-afternoon, it is soft and we are all covered in it. The soldiers
suddenly tell us we are to follow them. We are led out of the stockade. The guards all have guns
and are watching us closely. We walk. My mother keeps me close to her. I am allowed to walk
with my uncle or an aunt, occasionally.

We walk across the frozen earth. Nothing seems right anymore. The cold seeps through my
clothes. I wish I had my blanket. I remember last winter I had a blanket, when I was warm. I
don't feel like I'll ever be warm again. I remember my father's smile. It seems like so long ago.
We walked for many days. I don't know how long it has been since we left our home, but the
mountains are behind us. Each day, we start walking a little later. They bury the dead in shallow
graves, because the ground is frozen. As we walk past white towns, the whites come out to watch
us pass. No words are spoken to them. No words are said to us. Still, I wish they would stop
staring. I wish it were them walking in this misery and I were watching them. It is because of
them that we are walking. I don't understand why, but I know that much. They made us leave our
homes. They made us walk to this new place we are heading in the middle of winter. I do not like
these people. Still, they stare at me as I walk past.
We come to a big river, bigger than I have ever seen before. It is flowing with ice. The soldiers
are not happy. We set up camp and wait. We are all cold and the snow and ice seem to hound us,
claiming our people one by one. North is the color of blue, defeat and trouble. From there a chill
wind blows for us as we wait by a frozen river. We wait to die.
My mother is coughing now. She looks worn. Her hands and face are burning hot. My aunts and
uncles try to take care of me, so she can get better. I don't want to leave her alone. I just want to
sit with her. I want her to stroke my hair, like she used to do. My aunts try to get me to sleep by
them, but at night, I creep to her side. She coughs and it wracks her whole body. When she feels
me by her side, she opens her blanket and lets me in. I nestle against her feverish body. I can
make it another day, I know, because she is here.
When I went to sleep last night, my mother was hot and coughing worse than usual. When I
woke up, she was cold. I tried to wake her up, but she lay there. The soft warmth she once was,
she is no more. I kept touching her, as hot tears stream down my face. She couldn't leave me. She
wouldn't leave me.
I hear myself call her name, softly, then louder. She does not answer. My aunt and uncle come
over to me to see what is wrong. My aunt looks at my mother. My uncle pulls me from her. My
aunt begins to wail. I will never forget that wail. I did not understand when my father died. My
mother's death I do not understand, but I suddenly know that I am alone. My clan will take care
of me, but I will be forever denied her warmth, the soft fingers in my hair, her gentle breath as
we slept. I am alone. I want to cry. I want to scream in rage. I can do nothing.
We bury her in a shallow grave by the road. I will never forget that lonesome hill of stone that is
her final bed, as it fades from my sight. I tread softly by my uncle, my hand in his. I walk with
my head turned, watching that small hill as it fades from my sight. The soldiers make us continue
walking. My uncle talks to me, trying to comfort me. I walk in loneliness.
I know what it is to hate. I hate those white soldiers who took us from our home. I hate the
soldiers who make us keep walking through the snow and ice toward this new home that none of
us ever wanted. I hate the people who killed my father and mother.

I hate the white people who lined the roads in their woolen clothes that kept them warm,
watching us pass. None of those white people are here to say they are sorry that I am alone. None
of them care about me or my people. All they ever saw was the color of our skin. All I see is the
color of theirs and I hate them.
1995 Michael J. Rutledge, All Rights Reserved.

Document B: John Ross, a Cherokee Chief

Source: McKenney and Hall (1843). John Ross, a Cherokee Chief [Painting]. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.