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Lewis Cass And Andrew Jackson's The Cherokee Removal Act

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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, …show more content…

Andrew Jackson in his state of the union address of 1830 had the pleasure to announce his long fought battle in favor of removal had began coming to existence. Humanity and Philanthropy were two of his main points for why this has been such a strenuous task put upon the nation by the natives. “Humanity has often wept over the fate of the aborigines of this country, and philanthropy has been long busily employed in devising means to advert it.”(127) Jacksonbrings up the point regarding Americans moving west and humanity not weeping at the fact that they leave but are rather joyful due to the freedoms of “body and mind”(128) America grants. Jackson even goes far as asking the American public “How many thousands of our own people would gladly embrace removing to the west on such conditions?”(128) Jackson also discussed the removal procedure and about how the government can be fair and liberal if they agreed to the laws of the states from which they are present or how the government can be harsh if the alternative for removal isn’t accepted by the natives. Both Andrew Jackson and Cass have similar arguments relating to Philanthropy between Civilized people and the Indians believing it has failed but what about the will of Young Wolf? It seems from reading that will that Young Wolf had a fair knowledge of Civilized culture after death and how a legal contract between property, money and even slaves was

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