Jacksonian Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears — Ethnic Cleansing Analysis

Overview

In this assignment, you will decide whether Jacksonian Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears meets the criteria for ethnic cleansing, using the primary sources in the reader and what you learned in lecture. First, study the framework and the case study on the study website. Then read the twelve documents in the reader and complete the fillable worksheet. Finally, save the worksheet as a PDF and upload it to Canvas.

Learn about Ethnic Cleansing

Visit the website: Ethnic Cleansing study home (austin-academics.com/ethnic-cleansing/)

Required

1. Learn the Analytical Framework — Click “Learn the Framework” to study how historians define and analyze ethnic cleansing.
2. Explore the Jacksonian Indian Removal Case Study — Go to “Explore Case Studies” and study the Jacksonian Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears materials.

Optional but Strongly Encouraged

Study the other case studies (Yugoslav Wars, Jewish displacement from Arab countries) to see how often this atrocity has happened across time and place.

Materials

Instructions

1. Study the framework and the Jacksonian Indian Removal case study (above). Move on to step 2 when you can explain the working definition of ethnic cleansing in your own words, how it differs from genocide, and how it differs from a population transfer or a flight of war refugees.
2. Read the twelve documents in the reader. Each document lists the checklist rows it helps with. Jot down the document numbers you plan to use.
3. Open the fillable worksheet. Type directly into the Name/Course/Date fields and the Evidence/Citation cells. Your work saves automatically in that browser on that device.
   • For each of the seven characteristics, choose Yes, Partly, or No. Choose Partly when the evidence meets some of the guiding questions but not others, and say which.
   • Evidence: 1–3 sentences per row: a short quotation, number, or description, and how it answers the guiding questions.
   • Citation: Doc number, author, title, date, and URL, for example Doc 7. Evan Jones, letter, June 16, 1838. https://www.nps.gov/.... To cite the lecture, use its title and date with no URL: HIST 101 lecture, “Removal” (Ch. 11, Lecture 3), [date of class].
   • Use at least four different documents across the worksheet, including at least one Cherokee voice (Doc 4, 8, or 11).
4. Write the Short Conclusion (2–4 sentences): your overall verdict, your strongest evidence, and the strongest evidence against your verdict.
5. Save the page as a PDF:
   • Click Print / Save to PDF (top right of the worksheet page).
   • Destination: Save as PDF. Layout: Landscape. Turn Background graphics ON and Headers and footers OFF.
   • Name the file Last_First_IndianRemoval.pdf (for example, Garcia_Maria_IndianRemoval.pdf). This filename is required.
6. Open the PDF to check that every row and the conclusion are visible, then upload it to the Canvas assignment.

How Long Will This Take?

Plan for about 4.5 to 5.5 hours in total, spread over more than one sitting. This covers reviewing the Chapter 11, Lecture 3 deck, including its required Pierian Spring section, plus everything listed below. Your work saves in the browser between sittings.

Tech Tips

• Windows (Chrome or Edge): Click Print / Save to PDF, set Destination to “Save as PDF,” open “More settings,” check “Background graphics,” and uncheck “Headers and footers.”
• Mac (Chrome): Same as Windows. Mac (Safari): Press ⌘P, check “Print backgrounds” (click “Show Details” if you do not see it), then choose “Save as PDF” from the PDF menu at the bottom left.
• Chromebook: Press Ctrl+P, set Destination to “Save as PDF,” open “More settings,” check “Background graphics,” uncheck “Headers and footers,” and save to your Downloads or Google Drive folder.
• Phones and tablets make this hard to fill in and save. Use a computer if you can, such as a campus library computer.
• Your answers save in one browser on one device. They do not follow you to another computer, and private or incognito windows do not save. If you have to switch devices, save a PDF first.
• If text seems to disappear in the PDF, click into a different cell before printing so the browser keeps your last edit.
• If the Yes, Partly, or No buttons look unselected in the PDF, check that background graphics are on and save again.

Submission Checklist

• All seven rows have a Yes, Partly, or No choice, evidence, and a citation.
• The Short Conclusion is filled in (2–4 sentences).
• The PDF was saved from the worksheet page, not taken as a screenshot.
• Filename: Last_First_IndianRemoval.pdf
• The PDF is uploaded to the Canvas assignment (see Canvas for the due date).