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On This Long Journey: The Journal of Jesse Smoke, a Cherokee Boy, The Trail of Tears, 1838 (My Name Is America)
On This Long Journey The Journal of Jesse Smoke a Cherokee Boy The Trail of Tears 1838 - My Name Is America Author:Joseph Bruchac Sixteen-year-old Jesse Smoke and his family are in danger of losing everything after a small group of Cherokees signed a treaty ceding their land to the U.S. government. In exchange, the Cherokee Nation has been offered land to the west of the Mississippi as a new home, and the pressure from the government to start the relocation grows every day... more ». All hope lies with Cherokee chief John Ross, who is in Washington, D.C., working to undo the treaty.
But then one night Jesse's people are suddenly awakened, dragged from their homes, and brought at gunpoint to a stockade camp. Given almost no time to prepare, the Cherokee are told they are to start their relocation. With little choice, Jesse and his family begin the horrifying journey westward on the Trail of Tears during the unending winter months. It's a desperate and nearly impossible trip, crossing rivers and mountains while weathering brutal storms and bitter temperatures, all with inadequate supplies. As winter drags on, death takes its toll on the Cherokee people, and Jesse isn't sure they'll ever reach the Indian Territories.
Within the pages on his journal, Jesse weaves together the incredible stories and history of his people with the tragedy of their journey as they walk the long miles toward their new lands. « less