The Trail of Tears

Cornerstones of Freedom

by R. Conrad Stein, Conrad Stein

Describes the Federal government's seizure of Cherokee lands in Georgia and the forced migration of the Cherokee Nation to Oklahoma along the route that came to be known as the Trail of Tears

Genres: History, Childrens, American History, Nonfiction, Native Americans

32 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1985

Reviews

[Cala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read aloud to T(9) and S(6). Very much focused on how evil “white man” is in general. This book lacks historical details and engagement. The other books we’ve read on this topic are better written, more engaging, and more historically accurate.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew this was a sad story but damn! It was far worse than I thought. What a shameful episode for the US. We live near the town of Cherokee and will be going there this fall to learn more about these events as well as the culture.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mother bought me a good stack of these Cornerstones of freedom books when I was a young teenage girl, since I loved reading and history. I have used them many times for history projects over the course of my middle school and high school years. I have read this installment multiple times, and have found it to be a good source of historical knowledge! There is a lot of text in this book to give the reader a general knowledge of the history behind the subject. I do recommend this book, and the others in this series for anyone who loves history, and to teachers!

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some parts of our history are utterly appalling. This book made me cry.

[Jenny Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sad sad time in American history. It was hard to read to the kids, but it was good for them to understand what happened.

[Apzmarshl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking look at the expulsion of Native Americans from their generational land and homes. Perfect fit for our study of Native American history.

[Donnie]

Sad what happened. Wrong

[Joannafrndak · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Trail of Tears is a historical fiction. It weaves a story of the experience from the perspective of both the Cherokee Nation and the Anglo-Saxon americans. While the story is told, real photos of locations, artifacts, and people are shown throughout the book, along with artistic renderings.
This book relates to my cultural text set topic of Native American studies because the Trail of Tears was a very significant event that shaped the history of Native people in this country.
The developmental level of this book would be 3rd grade and up because of its content and reading level.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published 1985 by the Children's Press in the Cornerstones of Freedom, and is slightly dated. There is at least one historical inaccuracy regarding Sequoyah. But all in all, it ties in the plight of the Cherokee along with the other four Civilized Tribes, those being the Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole and Choctaw. It picks up some of the emotion and passion and pain of the Trail of Tears. Geared for upper elementary to middle schoolers. The illustrations are good. (Pre read for teaching Georgia history, required reading for HH and GH--read to her orally)

[Allison Thurman]

Library

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sad and very gruesome what the United States then did to the Cherokee....

[Tanya Windham · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overview of a terrible time in US history

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written for young readers. A good quick way to refresh or learn more history.