The Trail of Tears refers to the forced removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral homelands in the southeastern United States. Under the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the U.S. government relocated thousands of Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole people to lands west of the Mississippi River. The journey was marked by harsh weather, disease, and hunger, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Native Americans.

Alabama played a significant role in this tragic chapter of American history. Much of the land occupied by the Creek and Cherokee nations was located within present-day Alabama. As settlers sought fertile farmland, pressure grew to remove Native tribes from the region. The Creek War of 1813–1814 forced many Creek people to surrender millions of acres of land. Later, the Indian Removal Act accelerated the displacement of Native communities throughout Alabama. The state became a major departure point for removal routes, leaving a lasting impact on Native American history and Alabama’s cultural heritage.