The Trail of Tears | The Frontier

The Trail of Tears | The Frontier

Author: History Hit March 30, 2026 Duration: 51:48

The Trail of Tears is one of the darkest chapters in American history: the forced removal of thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral lands in the Southeast to territories west of the Mississippi River. In this episode we focus specifically on the experiences of the Choctaw people.


In this final episode of our 'Frontier' miniseries, we are lucky to welcome Ryan Spring to take us through this story. Ryan is a Cultural Research Associate in the Historic Preservation Department of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.


Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Produced by Tomos Delargy. Senior Producer was Freddy Chick.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  


All music from Epidemic Sounds.


American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Dive into the stories that shaped a nation with American History Hit. Hosted by Don Wildman, this podcast from History Hit moves beyond textbook dates to explore the pivotal moments and forgotten figures that define the American experience. Each episode is a journey, whether it's into the tense world of wartime codebreakers intercepting Japanese plans or the complex political landscape where figures like Walt Disney leveled serious accusations. You'll encounter the perspectives of leaders like Chief Powhatan on the eve of conflict and dig into the layered past of landmarks like Central Park. The narrative stretches from pre-colonial times through the forming of the modern United States, connecting historical dots to contemporary understanding. By focusing on specific, often surprising events, this series provides a grounded and compelling look at how the past actively informs the present. Tune in for a thoughtful and detailed exploration of history, where every story adds depth to the ongoing American story.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

American History Hit
Podcast Episodes
King Phillip's War [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:58
This is one of the deadliest conflicts in North American History. But who was King Philip? What started the war? And how did it change history?Don is joined by Professor David Silverman from George Washington University…
Annexation of Alaska [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:24
In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in a deal that reshaped the map of North America... but what did that moment mean for the people already living there? In this episode, we explore Alaska before Eur…
The Quaker Who Put Penn in Pennsylvania [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:59
From being locked up in the Tower of London to founding the 5th most populous state in the country, and the city at the heart of the Revolution, today we are charting the unlikely rise of William Penn and the founding on…
Stonewall Jackson's Last Battle: Chancellorsville [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:02
It was Robert E. Lee's greatest strategic triumph but it came at a heavy cost - the loss of his talismanic leader and friend Stonewall Jackson among thousands of Confederate casualties. Guiding Don Wildman through what h…
A Day in the Life of a Puritan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:36
What if we told you that puritans were actually sex-crazed? Well maybe not crazed but definitely not opposed to it.What if we told you that, actually, the entire mainstream belief of puritans being bound to strict moral…
George Washington's Spies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:13
During the Revolutionary War a vital web of intelligence was established, with General Washington at its head. Operating through coded letters, hidden signals, and a chain of ordinary civilians turned spies, their secrec…
Geronimo's Rebellion and the Apache Wars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:01
Geronimo's name is famous across the world: the Apache warrior who led a resistance movement against the United States out in the South West for years...But what happened to Geronimo (or Goyaałé) that led to his campaign…
The Astors, The Gilded Age & The Building of New York [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:29
From fur traders to rulers of the New York social scene - how did the Astors rise to the top? What did it mean to be 'Old Money' in the Gilded Age? And where did that power go?Don is joined by New York Times best-selling…
Shays' Rebellion: An Honorable Rebellion? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:44
Shays’ Rebellion has long been taught as a dangerous uprising, one that risked shaking the newly founded United States of America. But by tracing the events from mounting grievances to the march on the Springfield Armory…
How to Escape Alcatraz [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:51
What was it like to live on Alcatraz? And was it possible to escape? In this episode, Don speaks to a historian with the unique experience of growing up there.Jolene Babyak's father worked on Alcatraz during its 29 years…