The Tallapoosa River winds quietly through eastern Alabama, giving no indication of the violence that it bared witness to nearly two centuries ago. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend in many ways solidified the tumultuous relationship between Indians and settlers. …show more content…
Possessed by "gold fever" and a thirst for expansion, many settlers turned on their Cherokee neighbors. The U.S. government ultimately decided it was time for the Cherokees to be "removed", leaving behind their farms, their land and their homes. In 1830, Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act, which granted Jackson the funds and authority to remove the Indians, by force if necessary, and promised the Indians a “safe” passage …show more content…
This blockhouse, built in each corner of the standard removal fort featured gun ports drilled every two feet or so. Some Cherokee reported to the forts, not knowing the fate that awaited them, simply because John Ross had told them this is what they should do. Others stayed with their homes and were working in the fields when the soldiers came. The Georgia Guard had identified Cherokee homes. The residents would then be forced to leave. The amount of time given residents to collect belongings varied greatly. There are numerous instances where settlers attempted to intervene when the Guard was being particularly rough on a