Indian Removal Speech

It has been 186 years since the Indian Removal Act was passed by Congress during Andrew Jackson’s presidency. The way other people view Native Americans, particularly the Choctaws and Chickasaws, has changed drastically over time; but how has that changed the way Native Americans view themselves. I plan to explore what it meant to be Native American at the time of Indian Removal and compare it to what it is believed to mean to be Native American today. I plan to look at the cultural attitude that was in place at the time of removal and how the Native Americans reacted and compare it to modern day opinion.

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

It is a sad and angry time for the Cherokee people, but we mustn’t fight back any longer, instead I believe it is best to follow Major Ridge to the new home awaiting us in the West. Our stance in court against the Indian Removal Act has been ignored due to the threat of mutiny the Southern States are mustering up against the Federal Government. John C. Calhoun has challenged Federal Law for his state’s own interest and ultimately at our cost due to the fact that our land was used as a bribe in order to stop the continuation of the mutinous movement of the South. President Andrew Jackson, the man we fought the Creek Tribe so bravely against has selfishly turned his back on our people and our rights to our old beautiful land. Our Chief John Ross

As a member of the Cherokee Nation, I must stand up for the rights of my people and challenge the removal of our nation. I know that we do not have much money and that the rich have most of the control and they can bend rules to their liking, but every man is entitled to be protected by the law. The "evils" do not have to exist in the government, they only exist because the rich allow and want them to. Just because it is profitable for the rich to take over our land, does not mean that they have the right to just take it from us and make us move to the land we know nothing about where we could possibly be unwelcome by other Indian tribes. The rich should not make all of the decisions. The law is the law and just because someone has money, does

" These lands were taken away barely 50 years after they were assessed. The United States government played a cruel game when it relocated its Indian population (some could argue this as survival of the fittest, evolution). They turned a blind and mostly bias eye when it came to Indian politics and treaties they had made twenty years prior. They made promised that were going to be broken, and which there were no way of avoiding. In short, the government in a way did the same thing to the Indians that Jackson did to the Bank:

“I fought through the civil war and have seen men shot to pieces and slaughtered by thousands, but the Cherokee removal was the cruelest work I ever knew”, remarked a Georgia soldier who had participated in the removal of Indian Natives during the mid-1800’s. As a result of the Indian Removal Act, Indian natives have been perceived as mistreated and cheated throughout history. The Indian Removal Act was passed during the presidency of Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830. This act granted authorization to the president to exchange unsettled lands west of Mississippi for Indian lands residing in state borders. Initially, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 was passed to expand the Southern United State for farmland and to aid the government in furthering our development as a nation. With this plan in mind, the government provided money to establish districts in the west of the Mississippi River for the Indian natives, ensured trade and exchange in those districts, allowed Native Indian tribes to be compensated for the cost of their removal and the improvements of their homesteads, and also pay one years’ worth subsistence to those Native Indians who relocated to the west.

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

The early 1800’s was a very important time for America. The small country was quickly expanding. With the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition, America almost tripled in size by 1853. However, even with the amount of land growing, not everyone was welcomed with open arms. With the expansion of the country, the white Americans decided that they needed the Natives out.

Another reason why the Cherokee shouldn’t move is because the Americans had treated the Cherokee with disrespect. One way the Americans had treated the Cherokee disrespectfully is contacting the military to transport or move them to their new home. Another thing is and was that horses were stolen and hundreds and died from disease and malnutrition on the journey to the new land. Even though the Cherokee didn’t move to the new land when they were asked nicely. The Americans didn’t have the rights to force them to move because they had been there before they

The Trail of exiles was a trail of death. The Indian Removal Act was a controversial idea which many people spoke out against. Many protested over the poor treatment of the Native Americans. On the other hand, settlers supporting the Indian Removal Act stated that this will be an advantage to America gaining more land and wealth.

Did you know that thousands of American Indians traveled half the country on foot? This was because of the Indian Removal Act. The Indian Removal Act is an act which says that the government has the power to move the American Indians to a specified location as long as the American Indians can keep that land forever. The government moved most of them to the now established Kansas because the explorer who explored Kansas called Kansas a desolate desert full of tribes who have no homes. Many American Indians did not like the Indian Removal Act because of the struggle it caused.

Through this speech, my client acknowledges the adversities of which the Cherokees must have experienced in response to the Removal. Since the Cherokee's lost their so called "homes", they lost familiarity. However, Mr. Jackson shared an anecdote that our friends are not alone in these emotions. Ancestors of American citizens were once in a state of fear of what is yet to come in the 'New World.' The Indians were given a new home not a whole 'New World.' With the Removal Act, Indians where given a fresh start with the addition of larger land for them to be able to grow and develop without inferring with the United States's

In 1830, the Indian Removal Act proposed by Andrew Jackson was passed by the Congress. Many Indians were forced to give up their lands and the resources, and relocate to the unsettled territory in the west of the Mississippi River. The Indian policy of America was rather mild in the beginning compared to later. The previous president, such as George Washington, encouraged the Indians to adapt to American cultures but also allows them to keep their traditions.

Change took place in our nation long back in 1947 when India got independence from the colonial powers, but have we accepted the change yet? Caste Discrimination is a taboo. It is a “no-no” topic of discussion on official papers. Regardless of being abolished constitutionally, caste based discrimination is followed in various parts of the country. One cannot blatantly blame the Northern part of the country for casteism, as literacy rates are low. Prejudice on the basis of caste is not something that education can eradicate rather it is a game of the predominant ideology that has been followed since centuries.