After Congress passed the Indian Removal Act on May 28, 1830, the government forcibly relocated about 60,000 Indians from the southeastern U.S. to what is now Oklahoma. This included the five civilized tribes Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, Choctaw, and Seminole. When Andrew Jackson ran for president in 1828, he pledged to move the Indians west of the Mississippi River. After removal became law, the government proceeded to relocate the Indians. Some traveled overland and others by water. Many suffered severe hardships. About 14,000 Cherokees were relocated with 4,000 deaths occurring. The grief from their loved ones’ deaths, the hardships, and deprivations made their trek westward a Trail of Tears.