The Indian Removal Act, signed by President Andrew Jackson in 1830,
required all tribes east of the Mississippi to cede their land to the U.S.
government and migrate to the western plains.  The journey west, called
the "Trail of Tears," took its tool on t he four southern nations
(Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Cherokee) forced to move.  Many Indians
left behind comfortable homes and fertile farmlands, and one-third of the
migrants perished in their new surroundings.  This depiction of the Trail
of Tears s hows how little the Indians were able to take with them on
their mandatory relocation.