One of the many subjects of critical importance in American history was the relocation of American Indians, known as the Indian Removal. President Andrew Jackson favored the rapid settlement of Western and Southern lands by whites, therefore he wanted to make a drastic change, and he certainly did. In his two terms as president, Jackson worked to implement his vision of a politics of opportunity for all white men (The American Promise, 285). He held the belief that previous efforts to promote the assimilation of Indian peoples had failed. In his 1830 letter to Congress, Jackson announced the benefits resulting from the relocation of the native people, and the “pecuniary advantages” that such movement would bestow on the Anglo American population …show more content…
Conversely, the Choctaws, Creeks, and the Chickasaws negotiated resettlement. Sadly, they never saw any of the promised federal money they were assured to receive. The Seminoles retreated into the swamp lands of Florida where from 1835 to 1842 they fought United States troops. In the end, only a few hundred eluded death or capture. Meanwhile, the Cherokee had been trying every available avenue to resist the removal policy. The immense majority of Cherokees did not want to move west, and their leadership, primarily John Ross, fought very hard against the removal. They fought the relocation in a number of ways, but there was one that was most significant. Their fight in Supreme Court brought a great deal of attention to the historians. In 1832, the Worcester v. Georgia case was handed down by the Supreme Court. This case recognized that the Cherokees did indeed have sovereign rights. It also recognized their existence as a “distinct community, occupying its own territory, in which the laws of Georgia can have no force” (The American Promise, 287). This decision was extremely important because it nullified Georgia law within the Cherokee …show more content…
The government did nothing about it, allowing the situation to worsen. Georgia legislature then established a lottery and began distributing Cherokee land to its own citizens. In 1835, a small, unauthorized faction of the acculturated leaders signed a treaty selling all the tribal lands to the state, which rapidly resold the land to the whites (The American Promise, 287). In October of 1838, the forced migration on 18,000 Cherokees began, known as the Trail of Tears. Men were seized in their fields, women were taken from their wheels, and children from their play. In 1838-1839, they lost people in the stockades and they lost them on the cold walk in the dead of the winter. Around 4,000 died, and this atrocity separated families and broke apart communities. The historic patterns of villages and families were disturbed and destroyed. Survivors joined the fifteen thousand Creek, twelve thousand Choctaw, five thousand Chickasaw, and several thousand Seminole Indians also forcibly relocated to Indian Territory (The American Promise,
They cried, they wept, they grew stronger. It was a story of hope, courage, and survival. This was the Trail of Tears. Many events led up to the Cherokee’s removal. The Indian Removal caused the Cherokee indians to move west. A man named Major Ridge struck lots of bargains with the United States. This man, Major Ridge, was one of the native sons, born in 1771, that lived in the Cherokee territory. The Cherokee’s lived in the Christians Eden because they believe their ancestors once lived in the same area. Throughout Major Ridge’s youth years, the Shawnees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, the Creeks, and the United States endangered the Cherokees. Mr. Ridge and his family watched his town get burnt down by riflemen due to picking the wrong side during the American Revolution. The Cherokees watched their world change all around them. The Cherokee population dwindled to 12,000 in 1805, and lost over half their precious land. The United States wanted the Cherokees land, and for them to move west. The Americans offered a path for them to walk down. The Americans developed a policy called civilization which taught the Cherokees how to grow wheat; how to eat meals at regular set times instead of when ever they pleased, how to dress; how to speak English; how to pray in church at certain set times. The United States wanted all the tribes to be equivalent of their white neighbors. Thomas Jefferson states that they could be equal to the whites. John Ross was the future Cherokee chief; he grew
They were declared a dependent sovereign state and only the federal government had any say so in their affairs. Treaties were signed and land was sacrificed in order to retain some semblance of independence but the states got greedy and wanted it all. It was the Indians who followed the treaties and never went after their lost land or left their borders but the Americans continued to encroach on them. The Memorial Of the Cherokee Nation explained how Indians were tricked into selling land that belonged to the Nation so that Indian territory became American territory despite the people having no right to sell land given to the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee government fought the breaks in the treaties but the judicial decision was overruled and the Cherokees were still forced to move. Besides the breaches in the treaties, the Cherokee tribe was one of the five assimilated tribes meaning they adopted European customs and religions. The Cherokee had become civilized as was the European’s goal and they fought their battle through the legal system not in a war. In this sense, the Indian Removal was unjust and
Indian Removal (Zinn Chapter 7) Once the white men decided that they wanted lands belonging to the Native Americans (Indians), the United States Government did everything in its power to help the white men acquire Indian land. The US Government did everything from turning a blind eye to passing legislature requiring the Indians to give up their land (see Indian Removal Bill of 1828). Aided by his bias against the Indians, General Jackson set the Indian removal into effect in the war of 1812 when he battled the great Tecumseh and conquered him. Then General, later to become President, Jackson began the later Indian Removal movement when he conquered Tecumseh¹s allied Indian nation and began distributing
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.
In his article “Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars”, the author Robert V. Remini believed that Andrew Jackson’s Removal Policy benefited Native Americans. However, in his article he contradicts himself. While speaking of Andrew Jackson’s inaugural address Robert V. Remini points out “Anyone who
The Choctaw were the first to be evicted followed by the Seminoles in 1832, Creeks, and Chickasaw in 1837. The Cherokee removal in 1838 was brought on by the discovery of gold near Dahlonega, Georgia. This was the last forced removal east of the Mississippi and lead to the Georgia Gold Rush. The removal of the Indian tribes brought on many wars and battles. They fought for the land that had been passed down from generation to generation. Many solders did not even make it to the marches to reservations because they died in battle. These battles were gruesome and a lot of Native American tribes came together to fight against the American soldiers. Very few groups hid and were not found by the government. By 1837, 46,000 Indians from the southeastern states had been removed from their homelands. This gave white settlers close to 25 million acres of land.
On May 28, 1830, the Indian Removal Act was passed. It stated that the Native American were to be removed from the Southern states (Indian Removal Act). The act ended the Native American’s right to live in the states under their own traditional laws (Indian Removal Act). They were given the options to assimilate and acknowledge the United States’ laws or leave (Indian Removal Act). They were forced to leave their land, their homes, everything they ever knew or face the consequences. They were forced to go to a land that they knew nothing about, and hope that they would be able to survive where ever they ended up. When the Cherokee were forced to leave, out of the 18,000 that left 4,000 died on the way (Primary Documents) As a result of all of the death on the trail, it was named the Trail of Tears (Primary Documents).
The Indian Removal Act signed by the president of the United States, Andrew Jackson, caused controversy and the brutal and merciless suffering of the Native Americans during The Trail of Tears. The beginning of the 1830’s was a time when the Native Americans occupied The Deep South. This, however, was problematic for the white farmers who were in need of farmland in order to increase their production of cotton. Nevertheless, Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, coerced the Native Americans to relocate their civilizations to lands west of the Mississippi. A close examination at the tribes that were compelled to move west would show that they were civilized. Thus, Andrew Jackson was not justified in his policy towards
Many historians argue that the Indian Removal Act was not justified. “Members of Congress argued that Jackson violated the Constitution by refusing to enforce treaties that guaranteed Indian land rights.” (Cheathem, 452). In 1791, America signed a treaty with the Cherokees with the intent on “civilizing” them into the traditions of America. By the 1820’s, most Cherokees were “living in log cabins instead of houses made
In 1831, the Cherokee nation went to court against the state of Georgia. They were disputing the state’s attempt to hold jurisdiction over their territory. Unfortunately, because they are not under the laws of the constitution, the Indian’s right to court was denied. It was not until 1835 that the Cherokee finally agreed to sign the treaty, giving up their Georgia land for that of Oklahoma.
Introduction Imagine having a nice family dinner with your entire family. You ask “Pass the chicken, please.” a peaceful normal dinner. Then, American soldiers barge into your house, knocking down your door in the process.
The Cherokee Removal Act is believed to have been causation of prolonged engagement between the settlers of Georgia, Alabama, and parts of North and South Carolina up until 1836, when Andrew Jackson officially signed it into law. Andrew Jackson had a lot to say about the need for removal of natives and two main reasons why it has been such a lengthy procedure. Another man who also had something to say about the matter at hand was Lewis Cass who was Governor of the Michigan Territory from 1816-1831. He was well known as one of the “most experienced, and highly thoughtful experts in the country on United States Indian policy and the histories and cultures of the tribes. (114)” Cass, unlike President Jackson, believed Indians could survive,
Robert V. Remini argues that Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830 was socially motivated by humanitarian impulses, and that Jackson’s actions where driven by the desire to save the culture and populace of the Native
Cherokee rights were also decreasing. They were no longer allowed to have businesses; they couldn't testify against the white in court, and they were prohibited to mind for the gold. Majjor Ridge and his family had decided that enough was enough and that they should just retreat from the area. John Ross on the other hand had decided that the Indians should continue to fight for the land because they were there first. Tragically for the Indians, the 1835 Treaty of Echota was illegitimately signed and approved saying that all of the Indians were to move to the west side of the Mississippi River in exchange for five
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.