Dear Parents and Teachers The History Files series takes readers into significant eras in United States history allowing them to walk in the shoes of characters living in the periods they’ve learned about in the classroom From the journey to a new beginning on the Mayflower to the strife of the Vietnam War and beyond each title in this series delves into the experiences of diverse characters struggling with the conflicts of their time Each book includes a comprehensive summary of the era along with background information on the real people that the fictional characters mention or encounter in the novel Additional websites to visit and an interview with the author are also included In addition each title is supplemented with online teacher parent notes with ideas for incorporating the book into a lesson plan These notes include subject matter background information inspiration for maker space activities comprehension questions and additional online resources Notes are available at www RourkeEducationalMedia com We hope you enjoy the History Files books as much as we do Happy reading Rourke Educational Media 3
Table of Contents Trouble in Washington 6 Breaking the News 10 You Have Two Years 16 Marching Troops 24 To the River 37 Lost 54 No Water 68 Indian Territory 87 5
Chapter One Trouble In Washington The April sun shone through the Senate windows in Washington D C Statesmen in starched suits argued heatedly among themselves They are an inferior race and can be moved from the state of Georgia After all President Jackson supports the movement wholeheartedly shouted Mr Lumpkin Besides he continued We need this land for development For progress He ended his speech with a dramatic flourish waving his arms in the air as if to emphasize the idea of progress Disgruntled rumbles erupted from the room Senator Sprague from Maine took to 6
the podium It was his turn to speak Good sirs Senator Sprague began I ask you to humbly consider not signing this bill Removing Indians from their homelands does no honor to our great nation We must act in good faith Honor our brethren Let them live peacefully on their native land Progress and development are no substitutes for honor Above all else we must act honorably Honor Who cares about honor What about the skirmishes The raids a man yelled from the back of the room Without missing a beat Senator Sprague addressed the point Good sir the time of raids and skirmishes are past It is time for both nations to live in peace and prosperity Mr Lumpkin jumped to his feet Our treaties have been violated Move the Indians west States have the right to control the 7
