The Treaty of New Echota of 1835 gave the Cherokees living in the state of Georgia two years to move west , or they would be forced to move . At the end of the two years only 2,000 Cherokees had migrated westward and 16,000 remained on their lands . The U.S. sent 7,000 soldiers to force the Cherokee to move without the time to gather their belongings . This march westward is known as the Trail of Tears , in which 4,000 Cherokee died
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
History of Oklahoma