If you drive through the South, you may see signs like this one. The Trail of Tears was a specific route to remove Native Americans to the frontier. Most specifically, many routes led to Oklahoma, which was a reservation at one time. The Trail of Tears refers to one specific removal, that of Cherokees in the winter of 1838-1839. John Marshall and the Supreme Court went against Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act. However, in a true test to checks and balances after Marshall said the US couldn't take land in Worcester v. Georgia,  Jackson said, "John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it!"