1. Forced Relocation and the Trail of Tears
The creation of reservations began with harsh federal policies such as the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This led to the infamous Trail of Tears, where thousands of Native Americans were forced from their ancestral lands to unfamiliar territories west of the Mississippi. The journey was marked by disease, starvation, and death, tearing families apart and devastating entire nations. The trauma of this forced relocation still echoes today, shaping the collective memory and resilience of Native communities.
