Before It Became History | The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Removal and the Long Road to Rebuilding

The Trail of Tears was never one road. In 1838 and 1839, seventeen detachments of Cherokee people were forced west by land and river. We trace the roundup, the camps, the routes, and how the Cherokee Nation survived and rebuilt in the West. Before It Became History, a podcast series from the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute, explores the people and moments that shaped the American story. Each episode looks beyond the legend to examine the decisions, conflicts, and ideas that tested the promise o...