Cherokee Quote by Howard Zinn
““Grant Foreman, the leading authority on Indian removal, estimates that during confinement in the stockade or on the march westward four thousand Cherokees died. In December 1838, President Van Buren spoke to Congress: It affords sincere pleasure to apprise the Congress of the entire removal of the Cherokee Nation of Indians to their new homes west of the Mississippi. The measures authorized by Congress at its last session have had the happiest effects.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Congressional address by President Martin Van Buren, December 1838
The quote juxtaposes a government’s euphemistic praise of forced Cherokee removal with the harsh reality of massive death and suffering.
In simple terms: Government claimed success hides tragedy.
Key Takeaway
Recognize hidden harms behind official narratives.
Themes
history
injustice
government rhetoric
Mood
somber
critical
reflective
Type
historical
political
educational
When to use this quote
- education curricula
- museum exhibits
- public policy debates
- memorial design
Key Concepts
colonialism
human rights
policy criticism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we verify truth in official statements?
- What responsibilities do historians have to expose suppressed histories?
A Different Perspective
Official reports often downplay or ignore human cost.
![“Long accustomed to the use of European manufactures, [the Cherokee Indians] are as incapable of returning to their habits of skinsand furs as we are, and find their wants the less tolerable as they are occasioned by a war [the American Revolution] the event of which is scarcely interesting to them.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4a5/thomas-jefferson-43_accustomed_long-accustomed-to-the-use-of-european-m_1549528.jpg)
![“[last words] What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.” quote by Crowfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/906/crowfoot-58072_american-indian_last-words-what-is-life-it-is-the-flash_793492.jpg)