Native America: Removal

In the 1830s Native Americans east of the Mississippi River were forced west so white settlers could claim their land. The process was called "removal," which, in essence, was the 19th century word for ethnic cleansing. Aside from the actual arrival of Europeans in North America, nothing had a greater impact on the Eastern tribes. Unfortunately, this video is not the best presentation of the topic. For starters, there was a technical problem with the review copy: the narrator's voiceover is LOUD, so the interviewees seem unusually soft (unless you keep switching the volume up and down). More importantly, however, the chronology is likely to confuse the young viewers for whom it's intended: the program flits from pre-Revolution to post-Revolution and back again to the arrival of the Europeans! In addition, the political struggle over "removal" (it was very controversial) isn't mentioned, and while Black Hawk's War is discussed, the Second Seminole War (much bloodier and longer-lasting than Black Hawk's War) is not. Not a necessary purchase. Aud: J, H. (R. Reagan)