While journeying to the Indian Territory, around 5,000 Cherokee died on the Trail of Tears. In 1830, the Indian Removal Act was proposed by President Jackson and passed by Congress. This act authorized the removal of Native Americans who lived east of the Mississippi River, to lands in the west.This area was U.S land, in what is now Oklahoma. Congress established this, Indian Territory. During this time, the system of checks and balances of the government did not work. When Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, it violated the fourth amendment which showed an abuse of power on the Legislative Branch’s part. Also, the Executive Branch abused power when President Jackson did not respect the ruling of the Supreme Court case in Worcester vs. Georgia, and the Judicial Branch could have stopped this. …show more content…
The Supreme Court (Judicial Branch) reviewed lower court decisions, and the President (Executive Branch) proposed laws. The jobs of the Judicial Branch are to interpret the Constitution and other laws, and to review lower court decisions. When the Cherokee tribe sued Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled the Cherokees a “distinct nation” (Source D). They used their constitutional powers.They also ratified the Treaty of New Echota, which is one of their abilities, which signifies that this act was not an abuse of power as well. When the Executive Branch proposed the Indian Removal Act, doing so was completely within their constitutional powers. They do not pass laws, simply propose them to Congress.In conclusion, certain aspects of what the government did to move the Indians was within their
In 1830 the US government called for the relocation of the native American tribes who stayed east of river Mississippi to the lands that were west of the river. The president worked out a deal of land exchange with the tribes that were located in the land. This was known as the Indian removal act. The native American was to migrate voluntarily even though most United States citizens did not follow these orders.
“Build a fire under them. When it gets hot enough, they’ll move”. There are many opposing opinions as to if Andrew Jackson abused his presidential power under the Indian Removal Act of 1830, and accordingly, each side can be justified. However, there is more solid evidence proving that Andrew Jackson did indeed misuse his duties as president by transforming the free movement of Indians to a forced one. Although many believed that Andrew Jackson demonstrated a genuine concern for the well being of the Native Americans, Jackson abused his power as president by unfairly enforcing the Indian Removal Act that did not authorize him to repeal treaties or force the relocation of Indians.
On may 28, 1830 the Indian Removal Act was passed by the congress and was signed by the current president at the time Andrew Jackson. The Indian Removal Act authorized the president to grant unsettled lands west of Mississippi in exchange for the Native Americans land. This forced Native American tribes to march their way west of Mississippi. Some tribes left in peace but most of the tribes resisted. In 1835 the agreement to, Treaty Of New Echota allowed Jackson to order Cherokee removal. Some Cherokee leaders signed the treaty and left but people under the leadership Chief John Ross resisted until they were forced to move to a new location 1838. Their forced journey to their new location was called the Trail Of Tears. Ever since, Native Americans have been living in reservation lands and the government has taken notice but don’t know if they should give them land or money. The government should be giving Native Americans land instead of money because the reservation lands are not
The Indian removal act and the trail of tears were the two of the most embarrassing things in American history. And who was the president in charge of these outrageous acts? Andrew Jackson. The first one, the Indian removal act of 1830. “I suggest for your consideration…. setting apart an ample district west of the Mississippi...to be guaranteed to the Indian tribes as long as they shall occupy it.... This emigration should be voluntary...(but) if they remain within the limits of the states they must be subject to their laws.” (Document 8). Andrew Jackson is saying in this letter to congress is that he told all of the Native Americans living between the limits must leave or he will use force to kill all of them or force them to leave. “If we are compelled to leave our country, we see nothing but ruin before us. The country west of the Arkansas territory is unknown to us.... The far greater part of that region
In the years leading up to the Indian Removal Act, which was the initial cause of the Trail of Tears, the United States was in a shift. The country was seeing an unrivaled influx of European settlers looking for careers and land. This caused population to skyrocket, in fact in the years 1790-1840, the United States saw a 350% increase in population. In other words, the need for fertile land and viable property was high. At the same time, attempts at assimilation of Indians into American society were proving to be futile. Americans saw the Indians as “noble savages”, who were uncivilized but able to be fit for society if they were converted to Christianity and adopted Anglo-European culture and behavior. With the growing need for land and the rise in tension between Natives and fearful white settlers, something needed to be done in the eyes of the American people. These two things combined is what really set up the foreground for what would become the Indian Removal Act. President Andrew Jackson, in
While Jackson has done wonders for America, he was not perfect. One of his flaws would be the Indian Removal Act of 1830. While the Cherokee’s march did not happen until after Jackson’s presidency, this can still be traced back to Jackson not upholding the rights of Native Americans during his presidency. This Act forced the Cherokee nation to give up their lands and travel to present day Oklahoma. During this journey, the Native Americans were faced with hunger, diseases and exhaustion because of these problems around 4,000 people died. This brutal movement of the Cherokee would become known as the Trail of
The United States Constitution was not protected when Andrew Jackson went against the supreme court decision with the Indian Removal Act and the South Carolina Resolutions. Document G, an illustration that demonstrates Indians forced to move westward on the Trail of tears because of the Indian Removal Act. This act created by Jacksonian Democracy were uncontinsitual infringements of the Indians’ rights. As shown in Document F the Acts and Resolutions of South Carolina are unconstitutional because it is against the first amendment, which is freedom of speech and it took away
In 1830, congress passed President Andrew Jacksons Indian Removal Act. This policy allowed the United States government to extinguish the Cherokee, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, Seminole and many other tribes title to their land. The Indians had to leave the land and life they had always known in the Southeastern United States behind. This disturbing event was named the Trail of Tears because many Native Americans died during the process of marching to an area west of the Mississippi River due to disease, starvation, and the long journey.
The Indian Removal Act, inspired by Andrew Jackson; the 7th president of the US and the enhanced ambition for American settlers to find more land in the southwestern regions of North America. The Indian Removal Act enabled Jackson the power of negotiating removal treaties with Indian tribes east of the Mississippi. Among these tribes were: Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaws and Seminoles. Very few authenticated traits were signed. The Choctaws were the only tribe to agree without any issues. All other attempts resulted in War and blood shed for both white settlers and Indians. The conflict with the U.S. and Indians lasted up until 1837. In 1838 & 1839 Jackson forced the relocation of the remaining Cherokee Indians;
The Indian Removal Act was not a peaceful transition for the Native Americans. This act was not fair for both the Native Americans, and the American citizens. Document 9 states, "…badly supplied with food and water... All our neighbors...would speak a language totally different from ours, and practice different customs..." This shows that Andrew Jackson was being very harsh to the Native Americans.
The Market Revolution adversely affected the liberty of Native Americans residing within the United States because they were seen as an obstacle to the country’s economic progress. As the Market Revolution ideas of commerce and expansion took hold in the minds of the people, these white citizens shared the view that Native Americans were hindering the goal of expansion. It was the United State’s God-ordained right to occupy and settle the land westward (Manifest Destiny), and the Native Americans were in the way. The conflicts with Native Americans has existed in America since the first settlers, but with the increased emphasis on commerce and development brought by the Market Revolution, the relations worsened. In 1823, during the case of Johnson v M’Intosh, the Supreme Court claimed that Native Americans only had the “right of occupancy” on their land, and that they did not own it. In 1830, under Jackson’s administration, the Indian Removal Act was created which tried to move the 5 Civilized Tribes out of their lands. Finally, in the Trail of Tears during 1838-1839, 18,000 Cherokee men, women, and children were forcibly removed from their lands and relocated to Oklahoma by federal soldiers. Soon
Jackson’s removal policy did not sit well with a lot of groups; many were uncomfortable about it but agreed it had to be done. President Jackson showed great leadership apart from everything else, and handled the Indian Removal act when no one else wanted to address the growing issue of Indian problem. Most government officials saw little to gain from addressing this and would do nothing. Some historians believe the president’s motivation was clearly out of concern for the Indians customs, their culture and their language, but his first concern was the safety of the military, Indians occupying the east might jeopardize the defense of the United States.
One of the defining moments of President Andrew Jackson’s career, if not the most significant, was the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This was a controversial bill at the time and the impact from it is still felt today. The Indian Removal Act directly led to the displacement of thousands of Native Americans; including four thousand deaths during the Trail of Tears, the forced march from Georgia to Oklahoma. While overt racism played a clear role in relocating Native Americans past the Mississippi, it is possible that other factors were at play. The living conditions in many of the states were poor for Natives and Jackson hoped that giving them a new location to live could remedy these problems while opening the land up for white settlers.
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
The Indian Removal Act was supposed to give Native Americans the option to stay on their sacred land, but they were driven out involuntarily anyway. Jackson did not abide by the Indian Removal Act passed through congress, which exemplified absolute abuse of his power as president. “ In both houses of Congress, a substantial block of legislators