Audio
Columbus Belmont They Passed This Way Exhibit Audio Description
Transcript
In front of you, is a slanted exhibit panel it is 3 feet wide and 2 feet tall, and about 3 feet off of the ground. Across the top of the panel is a black banner with text, Columbus-Belmont State Park. The blue, triangular logo for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail is on the right side with text crediting the partners on this project. Trail of Tears Association, Kentucky Great River Region Organization, and National Park Service.
Main text on the left side of the panel, title, they passed this way, text reads, Home to thousands of men, women, and children, the Cherokee Nation once spread across parts of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. The 1830 Indian Removal Act required that the Cherokee surrender their land and move west.
In 1838, more than 15,000 Cherokee began their trek west from their eastern homeland to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) over the “Trail of Tears.” They traveled by roads and rivers, including this stretch of the Mississippi River. Nearly 1,000 died during the journey westward, and up to 4,000 died as a result of the forced removal process.
Drawing in the middle of the panel, People wait to board boats pulled by a river steamboat
Quote below drawing, “I have no more land. I am driven away from home, driven up the red waters, let us all go, let us all die together and somewhere upon the banks we will be there.” From Sin-e-cha’s Song, heard on removal boats along the Trail of Tears.
Paragraphs on the right side of panel, titled Dangers of water travel along the Trail of Tears, text reads, Few groups of Cherokee traveled by water. After hearing of the difficulties faced by military-led groups that had traveled the water route, Cherokee leaders petitioned for permission to manage the removal of their own people.
They decided to remove over land routes to avoid the dangers of travel by boat, including the quick spread of sickness onboard, the fear of disease along the river lowlands, and unpredictable water levels and weather patterns.
Paragraphs on lower left side of panel, title, Federal Indian Removal Policy, paragraph text reads, Federal Indian removal policy aroused fierce and bitter debate. Supporters of the policy claimed it was a benevolent action to save the tribes east of the Mississippi River from being overwhelmed and lost in the onslaught of an expanding American population. Opponents decried its inhumanity and the tragic consequences it had for the Indian peoples. One thing was certain; removal freed millions of acres of desired Indian lands for use by white settlers.
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 resulted in the removal of thousands of American Indians from their ancestral lands for new homes in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). They traveled by existing roads and rivers. Many groups, hoping to avoid the disease and heat of summer travel, left in the fall and instead faced treacherous winter weather. Many died during the ordeal of the Trail of Tears.
Map to the right of paragraph is of the Southeastern United States, five brown arrows pointing from east to west show the origin of the five Tribes during the forced removal. The arrows represent where tribal populations came from in relation to today's US states, however, tribal lands did not originally have any relationship to state lines. The paths curve and merge at different points across the map but all end in what is today’s Oklahoma.
Text below map, In the 1830s, the federal government forcibly removed approximately 16,000 Cherokee, 21,000 Muscogee (Creek), 9,000 Choctaw, 6,000 Chickasaw, and 4,000 Seminole from their ancestral homes in the southeastern United States.
Paragraph at the bottom in the center of the panel, title, Today
Paragraph reads: Despite the hardships of the journey, members of the five removed tribes established new lives in the West. They stand as successful sovereign nations, proudly preserving cultural traditions, while adapting to the challenges of the 21st century.
Cherokee who survived the Trail of Tears created a new sovereign nation in present-day Oklahoma. Some Cherokee remained in North Carolina and due to a special exemption formed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Map on the lower right side of panel, title Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, map shows a more detailed view of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Black lines represent the Historic Trail and yellow dots show major cities across the routes today.
Text below map; By helping to preserve historic sites and trail segments and developing areas for public use, the story of the forced removal of the Cherokee people and other American Indian tribes is remembered and told by the National Park Service and its partners. You can visit more sites along the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Learn more at nps.gov/trte
Description
Columbus Belmont They Passed This Way Exhibit Audio Description
Credit
NPS
Copyright and Usage Info