I do not have my notes and references on-hand but I wrote a research paper for an American History class on the Trail of Tears. I can provide the references when I am home, and I apologize to readers and Mods if my answering of this question treads on forum etiquette. I have also had a few beers this evening, so here it goes.

The Trail of Tears was a practice in brutality and cruelty. There are accounts of soldiers who expressed regret and shame for their actions ([like this letter written in 1890 (http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newnation/4532)), and their confessions serve to provide a first-hand account of what happened on the long travel. Consider also that the nations impacted by the Trail of Tears were readily assimilating into the American culture without resistance. The Federal Government went so far as to respect the sovereign rights of the Indian nations that were relocated during the Trail of Tears (the Choctaw, Seminole, Creek, Chickasaw, and Cherokee). Andrew Jackson insisted on their removal and argued that it was illegal for the Government to respect the rights of these tribes. The tribes were forcibly removed from "perked" and prime land in order to make room for American expansion and were sent to regions that were deemed inhospitable. The Trail of Tears itself consisted of forced marches with minimal food and supplies for the tribal people. They were whipped and forced into compliance, sometimes carted up on wagons and crammed together to make the passing faster. At river crossings the ferry masters would charge extra for the tribal people to cross. Mass burials were not uncommon, and the fee charged to bury a tribal person was considerably greater than it was for a white person, and the tribes would eventually be charged for this service.

Approximately 16,000 Cherokee were forcibly removed from their homes, and 4,000 died on the journey.

It certainly was a terrible event. Andrew Jackson is given a lot of attention because of his War Against the Bank. A perennial favorite on TIL is the story of how he nearly beat to death the man who attempted to assassinate him. It's tempting to only observe these traits as some paragon ideal of what America should be about, but his role in the Trail of Tears shouldn't be so quickly dismissed.

Edit: Fixed the link. In the event that it still does not want to work, the letter can be found by searching for "Birthday Story of Private John G. Burnett"