The Cherokee Indians were forced (by Presidential Order) to evacuate to west of the Mississippii River, enduring horrid conditions . The death rate was staggering. Concurrently, Africans and African-Americans were being auctioned into slavery on most town squares in the United States. The pre-civil war era is certainly the most shameful era in American history. Historians have generally ranked the Presidents of this era as the worst in U.S. history, including Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, Filmore, Pierce, and Buchanan. The failed policies of these Presidents led the US into civil war.