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The Pros And Cons Of The Indian Removal Act Of 1830

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The Indian Removal Act of 1830, championed by President Andrew Jackson, called for the relocation of numerous native American tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River to land for white settlers. Although the bill was extremely controversial, it was passed, and entire Indian tribes were forced to move. Due to the hardship and suffering the Indian Removal Act of 1830 caused Indian peoples, as well as the fact that it was unnecessary, unconstitutional, and immoral, it should not have been passed. Firstly, the negative effects of the bill on native Americans far outweighed the benefits it might have had for second people. Secondly, the bill violated numerous treaties between the U.S. government and Indian tribes and was thus unconstitutional. Lastly, the bill was immoral due to the fact that Indian leaders were not allowed a voice in their own future and the inherent racism involved in the decision.
One of the main arguments opponents of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 voiced was that, at its most basic level, the removal bill was not necessary. The main purpose of the act was to provide more land for an increasing population of white American citizens; more land, the government believed, would help expand the American economy. Proponents of the bill, such as President Andrew Jackson (who ratified the act), claimed that the land occupied by the Indians would be put to better use as part of “our extensive Republic, studded with cities, towns, and all the improvements which art can devise…”. However, while those who supported the bill used nationalistic attitudes to justify their position, others found that removing the Indian peoples was not necessary to achieve economic growth. As Massachusetts Congressman Edward Everett and others emphasized, it was possible for white settlers to thrive while leaving Cherokee peoples on the land that was rightfully theirs; it was greed, not necessity, that motivated the people to demand more land. The removal bill should not have been passed because although the white population benefitted from the removal of the Indians, this benefit was not worth the hardship the Indians endured as a result. The benefit of white citizens should not have been prioritized over the well-being

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