Andrew Jackson’s Speech to Congress: Indian Removal The chosen document was written by former president Andrew Jackson on December 6, 1830. Andrew Jackson was a less educated political figure, he was fairly illiterate but he did make major changes to the united states. The purpose of this speech was to justify, to the American people and to congress; the removal policy already established by the Indian Removal Act of May 28, 1830. During this speech, Andrew Jackson gives his reasoning for why the Indians should be relocated. He states that the Removal Act will, “separate the Indians from immediate contact with settlements of whites; free them from the power of the States; enable them to pursue happiness in their own way and under their own rude institutions..” (Jackson) This is an absurd statement, because even though relocating the Indian tribes and communities did help expand the land of the United States, this act left many of Indians without any ties to the land they were forced to move to. Just because the Indians wanted to keep their land and would do anything to defend it, didn’t mean that they were a threat to the white civilizations. Though, of course, these arguments are the exact reason why Jackson gave this speech. Throughout this document, Jackson keeps giving explanations as to why the Removal act improves both the Indian and white societies, in his point of view anyway. Jackson does assume that most people understand the meaning of words like “abode” and “discontented.” Of course, this speech was given over almost 188 years ago, when the intended audience was made up of mainly highly educated men of political standpoints. So, naturally, this document is easy to believe if the reader can adopt the mental state of this time period: where mostly men occupied the educated population; most rights that our societies abuse and take for granted today did not exist; and even be able to ignore the immoral way that Americans during this time period thought. These early Americans thought that they could just roll onto a new land, and say claim to have any right to conquer it, without caring too much for the societies that they destroyed along the way. This speech was supposed to be defending the
Jackson declared his first statement of removal on December 8, 1829. His motivation behind this was to persuade Congress to pass the act to start his plan to remove all Indians from the white pioneers desired territory. In this, he addressed that the movement of Indians from this land must only be by their own personal choice because, “it would be as cruel as unjust to compel the aborigines to abandon the graves of their fathers, and seek a home in a distant land”. Although, Jackson’s own draft of of his 1829 message to congress contains no reference to voluntary removal, this would not be the first time he lied to the Native Americans. The Jackson administration concluded that the treaties that Jackson previously made with the Indians were merely “a stately form of intercourse” that were most useful in gaining their agreement without opposition. These treaties mainly entailed regulations on peacemaking and the ownership of land. While they were viewed as vital to the indians, but to Jackson and his colleagues they were nothing more than meaningless documents. He only created these treaties to trick the Indians into thinking they have power in the United States government just so that he can later manipulate them into
We are gathered here today to remember Andrew Jackson. President Jackson was among one of the best presidents we have ever seen. President Jackson was the first president to be relatable to the average person. As President Jackson once said, “The planter, the farmer, the mechanic, and the laborer… form the great body of the people of the United States, the bone and sinew of the country men who love liberty and desire nothing but equal rights and equal laws.” This showed how much he supported in the common people who are truly the backbone of our country. Andrew Jackson was the first president elected by normal people, not just wealthy landowning men and through him we showed what kind of president the people of this country want, a mans
It was Jackson’s First Annual Message to Congress, in which he had began to advocate for Indians during his terms. He suggested they move out westward, as a civilized group, and emigrate the land area west of the Mississippi River. (Doc 4). This would allow the expansion of white men looking for land. He has hope to able to move all those Indians out of U.S. Territory to give them a safer region of land to live, away from the potential undesired interaction and destruction with the common white man looking for land. (Garraty 248). There were multiple supreme court cases in which Indians had went against Georgia to challenge Georgia’s laws that lack to acknowledge Indian existence. (Doc 5). First case brought to the supreme court was Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, which was ruled that the Cherokees were an outside nation, not a part of the U.S. (Garraty 249). Jackson did not fully agree with the first case but later, after Worchester v. Georgia, he set down his good foot, and passed the Native American Removal Act of 1830. He forced the Cherokee along the Trail of Tears and denied to view all their court cases.(Garraty 250). The Native American Removal was supported by Jackson’s supporters in congress and it not only pushed Cherokee on this trail, it brought with them Chickasaw, and Choctaw. (Nash 332). The force put these tribes caused many deaths and separations of families. This goes to show how equality was mainly strived for the white man and not “foreigners” who are not a part of this nation (Nash
In his annual message delivered in 1830 to the Congress, Andrew Jackson says that the government is willing to give the Indians new home far away from the „settled, civilized, christian people” just because he thinks they are savages and cannot live next to normal people, and even further, he wants them to be grateful about it. He says they should be happy that he removes them from places where their ancestors lived and died. Jackson names it a kind, generous gesture and persuades people that this is the only solution, that Indians cannot live among other people because they are too wild, too little civilized and have to live away from civilization.
Andrew Jackson, The United States seventh president, was possibly one of the worst human beings to be president and treated the Native Indians horribly. He, was a bully and used his position to get acts and petitions like the Indian Removal Act passed, to help push Native Indians around so he could get his own way. The Indian Removal Act in and of itself seemingly doesn’t contain that much power, however it was all the power Jackson needed. The circumstances of Jackson’s character and the debates surrounding the Act also lend and interesting lens to examine what Jackson intentions were. When looking at Jackson and how he managed to relocate the Native it becomes substantially more integral to examine all the documents with a wide scope to see how he even managed the relocation of Natives.
When one hears the name Andrew Jackson, there are many feelings that are conjured up by an individual. Some of these emotions include fear, disgust, and comedy. These sentiments are of reason for substantial evidence exists to prove these emotions plausible. Andrew Jackson was the seventh president under the Constitution of the United States of America who presided from 1829 until 1837. However, he was the first president to be impeached. With his controversial presidency, Andrew Jackson implemented many policies that continue to impact the United States in the modern era. His most controversial contribution was the Indian Removal Act. The Indian Removal Act prompted the infamous Trail of Tears that killed many Cherokee Native Americans and moved them westward to confined reservations. Of course, to implement such grand policy, Jackson had to unduly convince Congress of those actions. In Andrew Jackson’s speech given February 22nd, 1831 entitled “Message Regarding Indian Relations,” he tries to vindicate the Indian Removal Act, outline the benefits of such legislation, and explain why such it was indeed important. Rhetorical strategies such as ethos, pathos, and logos are effectively utilized by Jackson to persuade Congress to believe in the merits of upholding the Indian Removal Act which then lead to westward expansion and Native American migration from their homelands.
When Americans expanded their country west, they interfered with many American Indian Tribes. In a letter he wrote to congress, he explained “This emigration should be voluntary… (but) if they remain within the limits of the states they must be subject to their laws” (Andrew Jackson’s Message to Congress December 7, 1829). Andrew Jackson offered to let the American Indians stay if they followed their laws. But in 1831, Jackson forced the Native Americans out of their homelands starting the Indian Removal. According to a reprinted in Niles Weekly Register, the Cherokee’s said “We wish to remain on the land of our fathers. We have a perfect and original right to remain without interruption or molestation”. Jackson lied to the American Indians about allowing them to stay. Jackson did not act democratically because he did not allow the American Indians to stay and forced them to move west. Jackson was fair to his supporters, but not to
Nonetheless, Jackson did not follow up with this promise. Instead, he had decided to deprive the Natives of their promised and secured land. Hence, Jackson was not justified in his Indian Removal Act because the Natives had a clear right to their land that was established with the forefathers of the nation. To add on, the Natives were civilized; however, Jackson had interpreted them as uncivilized which is stated in Document A, also known as “Andrew Jackson-First Annual Message,” dated December 8, 1829. In Jackson’s message, he states, “By this means they have not only been kept in a wandering state, but been led to look upon us as unjust and indifferent to their fate.” This quote conveys the idea that the Natives were “wanderers” and did not have an established community or place to live. Nonetheless, the Natives were farmers which opposes Jackson’s statement, thus proving that it is false. In addition, Jackson states, “It has long been the policy of Government to introduce among them the arts of civilization, in hope of gradually reclaiming them from a wandering life. This policy has, however, been coupled with another wholly [completely] incompatible with its success.” In this quote Jackson states how the government tried to civilize the tribes, but it ended in a failure to do so. However, Jackson also states, “…that their attempts to establish an independent government would to be countenanced [approved] by…” This quote reveals how
Andrew Jackson’s first inaugural address Andrew Jackson’s importance was great, great enough that we decided to put him on our 20 dollar bill after his death. He was our 7th president and served twice as present for a total of 8 years from March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837. Andrew Jackson’s first inaugural address uses many rhetorical strategies to get his point across. His main point is to get people to believe why he would be the best president and how he is the right person for the spot and how no one will regret voting for him. He appeals to logic by saying he will be the one to turn things around and he will make the changes needed to move forwards and he will make friendships with other counties to keep America safe and to make America a stronger country.
The way that the situation is described in the two readings is very different. In Jackson’s “On Indian Removal”, he says, “These remove hundreds and almost thousands of miles at their own expense, purchase the lands they occupy, and support themselves at their new homes from the moment of their arrival….. How many thousands of our own people would gladly embrace the opportunity of removing to the West on such conditions!”. Here he is saying that Indian Removal is an opportunity for the Indians to purchase new land and start a new life somewhere else and the
In reading Alfred A. Caves’ article, it says that Jackson violated treaties that the U.S. had with the Indians in order to remove them from their land. It says that the government “misunderstood and often times misrepresent the provisions of the law” . Many times the treaties with the Indians were not seen as actual agreement that the government didn’t have to follow and abide by what was said in the agreement. When the Indian Removal Act came along in 1830, the act made things even more complicated. One of the
"It gives me pleasure to announce to Congress that the benevolent policy of the Government, steadily
In his acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention on June 27, 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt mentioned many challenges and concerns facing the United States during that time period. In his speech the President used short-hand phrases, brief references, and pejorative naming to make his larger, political and ideological points. FDR used terms like ‘economic royalists’, along with phrases like ‘new despotism wrapped in the robes of legal sanctions’, to identify the large corporations, investors and employers, who according to him are trying to influence policies and control the government for their own personal benefits. The President also uses phrases like ‘Necessitous men are not free men’, to reiterate his concerns and to point out how the working people of America are being deprived from their rights by these very same privileged employers. FDR compares 1936 to 1776, referring to the American Revolution and its significance in putting the power back in the hands of the average Americans, and how it is necessary to check the power of the corporations in order to protect the interests of the American people and restore the power back in the hands of the people.
Thomas Jefferson was known as the third president who came into office, in United States. In his younger years, while attending College of William and Mary, he practiced law and became a member of the Continental Congress. (Monticello) He was considered part of the upper class and maintained a wholesome reputation. He later served as U.S minister to France and the U.S secretary of state. He then became the nation’s Vice President under the Presidency of John Adams, which led him to presidency where his first inaugural speech was presented on March 4, 1801 in Washington D.C. Before he became President of the United States, Jefferson took a major part in writing the Declaration of Independence. His first inaugural speech reflects his ideas of equality as well. This historical context has many disclosures that can be analyzed to understand the connection between our course material and the speech.
In 1830, congress passed The Indian Removal Act, which became a law 2 days later by President Andrew Jackson. The law was to reach a fairly, voluntarily, and peacefully agreement for the Indians to move. It didn’t permit the president to persuade them unwillingly to give up their land by using force. But, “President Jackson and his government