Under increasing pressure for removal from the federal government , Ridge and others of the Treaty Party signed the controversial Treaty of New Echota of 1835 . They believed removal was inevitable and tried to protect Cherokee rights . It required the Cherokee to cede their remaining lands in the Southeast to the US and relocate to the Indian Territory . Opponents protested to the US government and negotiated a new treaty the following year , but were still forced to accept removal . Blamed for the Trail of Tears tragedy and the loss of land , Ridge was executed in 1839 in accordance with the Cherokee Blood Law
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Major Ridge