18. The Choctaw Experience
The Choctaw were among the first to be expelled under the Indian Removal Act, beginning their forced journey in 1831. Their experience quickly became known as the “trail of tears and death,” due to the appalling conditions and high mortality they faced. Lacking food, shelter, and medical care, many Choctaw perished from exposure and disease. According to Smithsonian Magazine, their suffering set a grim precedent for the tragedies that would follow other nations on the Trail of Tears.
