Main content

The Trail of Tears

Writer Joe Queenan continues his journey across American history between the arrival of the Mayflower and the landing of the first men on the Moon.

"The Trail of Tears is one of the cruellest most shameful events in all American history," says presenter Joe Queenan, "a history that is by no means short on cruel, shameful behaviour. " The title of this episode, The Trail of Tears, refers to the forced relocation of five entire Nations - the Cherokee, the Creek, the Choctaw, the Chickasaw and the Seminoles - from their ancestral homes to the charmless wastes of Oklahoma.

Contributors include Paul Chaat Smith of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington.

The producer in Bristol is Miles Warde

Available now

14 minutes

Broadcast

  • Thu 3 Sep 2020 13:45