Recognizing Injustices in American History Through Memorials

Trail of Tears Cherokee Removal Park

The Trail of Tears describes the period from 1830 to 1850 where approximately 60,000 Indigenous peoples were removed from their homes in Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee through a conjoined effort by state governments and forced to walk more than 1,200 miles to Indian territory. Starvation and disease were rampant during the forced migration, and historians estimate that more than 5,000 Cherokees died along the journey. The Trail of Tears is one of many instances where Indigenous peoples were discriminated against and unjustly treated due to White Americans fearing and resenting Indigenous people and culture, as well as desiring the abundant resources present throughout their territory.

The Trails of Tears Cherokee Removal Park has two major components to commemorate this event. Firstly, there are four granite walls engraved with the names of each documented Cherokee who died during the Trail of Tears. Rather than listing the number of Cherokee deaths as a result of American greed and discrimination, paying tribute to each individual by listing the thousand of names more meaningfully communicates how cruel and neglectful the government was to Indigenous populations, and demonstrates that the human pain and suffering was a reality for thousands. Secondly, there is a map that outlines the trail that Cherokees from different states were forced along to reach the Indian territory. By visualizing the distance walked rather than listing the number of miles or state crossed, the map communicates the physical and mental exhaustion that Cherokee men, women, and children were subjected to for months. Both components serve to humanize the Trail of Tears and educate the readers by relating the pain of Cherokees in a more understandable context. These visual techniques give greater emotional significance to the sometimes stale numbers written by historians, which lack the same strong sense of horror and injustice.

Wounded Knee Memorial

The Wounded Knee Memorial serves as a mass grave for the 98 men, 65 women, and 24 children who were shot and killed as the 7th Calvary (470 soldiers) during the Wounded Knee Massacre (1890). To give context, the Lakota people—a subgroup of the Sioux Indians—became increasingly resistant and violent towards White Americans as the Lakota experienced a history of White settlers attempting to claim Indian territory, the U.S. government continuously broke legal agreements and usurped land/resources, and White Americans forced Lakota people to “become civilized” by adopting certain lifestyles and religion. The Ghost Dance religious movement was a type of peaceful religious circle dance to address the intense violence led by White settlers. During the 7th Calvary’s attempt to surrender Lakota people on December 28th, 1890, the Lakota people responded with the Ghost Dance rather than surrendering weapons. A shot was accidentally fired by a Lakota person, causing the situation to turn violent and the Calvary responded by open firing on the community. 

The single marker is a mass grave for all 187 Lakota people who died during this massacre. The significance of the memorial, however, is not just attributed to the marker, but also largely to the effort by the local community to maintain elements around the marker. Small gifts are left at the base of the monument, twigs of sage are placed around the grave, and pieces of cloth are tied to the gate surrounding the marker which serve as prayers to those impacted by the massacre. The ongoing efforts to commemorate those who have died demonstrate that the pain from the injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples is timeless. Families renew the tributes placed around the marker every day, which empathetically communicates how Indigenous communities still suffer from such merciless practices of the past. The power of this memorial lies within these tributes and conveys how these victims were real people who are loved, and not simply just an obstacle by White Americans or another number listed by historians