Early Effects
"The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that signifies the callousness of American policy makers toward American Indians" (Kidwell).
"The history of the United States government’s treatment of Native Americans is a sad and cruel one filled with broken promises, forced removal from tribal lands, murderous conflict bordering on genocide and an adamant refusal to respect basic human rights." (Kryzanek)
"Uncivilized tribal communities showed “progress” by becoming Christian: changing their appearance, attending western schools, and abandoning traditional hunting practices in favor of farming. (Odawa) men were pressured to cut their hair and discontinue the practice of tattooing, while social pressures influenced (Odawa) women to wear American clothes and not traditional dress." (Hemenway)
“Losing Indian lands resulted in a loss of cultural identity, as tribes relied on their homelands as the place of ancestral burial locations and sacred sites where religious ceremonies were performed. Without their lands, nations lost their identities, and their purpose.” (Hemenway)
“ Learning to work the new lands took time and greatly contributed to impoverishing the natives and leading them to be partially reliant on the federal government for support.” (Kidwell)
Native languages slowly gave way to English. Mandatory American boarding schools forbade native languages to be spoken. Children, alienated from their families, began to lose their languages and their cultures during their stay at these institutions. Unable to perform ceremonies and traditions in native tongues, a slow loss of tradition and identity became inevitable.
The effects of the Indian Removal Act would go on to have grave implications for the Native people. The term Historical Trauma would come to identify the lasting effects on this cultural group.
Many Native American tribes still struggle with the impacts of this forced removal, as it severed their connection to their traditional territories and disrupted their cultural continuity.
"The impact of removal on native populations has led to some debate in terms of demographics. The extent of the loss of life among migrants has an impact on the ability of people to maintain community structures such as clan and kin relationships. Loss of large numbers of family members through epidemic disease and the rigors of removal disrupt communities. Debates about the impact of epidemic disease and depopulation continue among scholars today." (Kidwell)