to exposure, starvation, and disease. This forced march was called the Trail of Tears and is still considered a horrible chapter in American history.

Upon arrival in Indian Territory, some of the Cherokee leadership who signed the treaty were assassinated. The Cherokee lived quietly in Indian Territory until the Civil War when a great deal of the Cherokee supported the Confederacy. After a series of military setbacks, the majority of the Cherokee sided with the Union forces with the exception of a force under Stand Watie, one of the signers of the Treaty of New Echota.

In addition to the effects that the other Educator's answer discusses, you can also consider the vast disruption to Cherokee cohesiveness and unity that this devastating event resulted in. Once they arrived in the Oklahoma Territory after their deadly march, Cherokee leader Major Ridge felt the wrath of many of his tribesmen for his role in signing over Cherokee land back east. A separate faction of Cherokee under the leadership of Chief John Ross blamed Ridge for all the loss of life and land. As a result, Ridge, his son, and nephew were executed.

An ensuing series of reprisals led to a near total breakdown in Cherokee order. The tribe descended into a state of civil war that lasted until 1849. As if the thousands of deaths from the Trail of Tears were not enough, this infighting led to even further population decline within the tribe. Animosity between the groups that signed the relocation treaty and those who were forcibly relocated threatened to divide the tribe in two. In fact, in 1846 some tribal leaders petitioned President Polk to divide the Cherokee nation in two. Although this motion ultimately failed, it would be a full generation until the Cherokee nation was able to reunify.

One of the most significant effects on Cherokee life after the Trail of Tears was in sheer whittling of the population.  The facts of life after the Trail of Tears reflects a massive population shift and displacement:  Many Native Americans suffered from exposure, disease, and starvation while en route to their destinations, and many died, including 2,000-6,000 of the 16,542 relocated Cherokee."  Life after the Trail of Tears was fundamentally different for the Cherokee because so many of their society died under the brutality intrinsic to the Trail of Tears.  From an emotional or psychological standpoint, life was altered for the Cherokee as a result of the Trail of Tears.  In the Cherokee language, the event is called Nu na da ul tsun yi—“the Place Where They Cried”.   This helps to illuminate how those who did survive the Trail of Tears never forgot what happened in the experience of forced relocation. The savage brutality, the cold weather that caused many Cherokee to freeze to death, the executions, as well as the memories of watching a person die all contributed to a psychological condition where so many memories linger.  Life after the Trail of Tears was filled with unforgettable images of savage cruelty along with a sense of survivor's guilt.  Along these lines, life after the Trail of Tears consisted of mistrust of White Authority and government.  Even though many died from disease, starvation, and cold, Native Americans saw their property and territories violated: "Their homes were burned and their property destroyed and plundered. Farms belonging to the Cherokees for generations were won by white settlers in a lottery." Life after the Trail of Tears had much in way of mistrust, bitterness, and a sense of resentment towards White government.