Trail of Tears

The area to the west of the Mississippi river is often referred to as ‘The West.’ Before 1860, a small number of people moved west to try to settle on the Great Plains. The poor soil and harsh climate discouraged them – along with the fact that the Plains were officially Indian territory. However, after 1865, thousands of settlers moved onto the Plains.


# Learning objectives

1: To understand who the Plains Indians and Mormons were{.info}

2: To explain the relationship between the Plains Indians and the Mormons{.info}

3: To consider whether the Policy of Concentration failed{.info}

# Year 1830 – First Railroads in the USA{.objective .objective1}

In this section students can learn about the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Students are asked to identify the Permanent Indian Frontiers and consider why the Native American tribes believed no one could own the land.

# 1848 to 1865 - Going West, Differences North and South{.objective .objective2}

Students will be able to summarise the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851. In addition, they will think about why people began to travel across the plains to get to the west and why the US government found the settlements encouraging.

# Year 1869 - Connecting a Growing Nation{.objective .objective3}

Your students can consider whether the Policy of Concentration and Civilisation was effective. In this section students are asked to consider why opposition to the Mormons had grown and why they were pardoned.

# Teacher Resources

Download Teacher Notes and Student Quiz

[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/767746/files/Trail%20of+Tears+Teacher+Notes.pdf?date=1652867700&size=1410353&md5=d87503ecb3fe63f502b8507923282d25)