The Trail Of Tears By Amy Sturgis

Even though Jefferson was very opposed to loose interpretation of the constitution and judicial expansion under John Marshal, he did discard his strict principles from time to time when it became necessary. “Self-preservation—the first law of nature and nations—took precedence over the constitutional limitations that he scrupulously observed in peacetime.” This is especially true in the case of the Louisiana Purchase. Americans were expanding westward and needed a port for transport on the Mississippi, so Spain allowed them to use New Orleans. In 1801 Louisiana was ceded to France by Spain. France was not as cooperative as Spain and closed the port of New Orleans to the U.S. Therefore, a sudden disruption in trade was a legitimate cause for tension between the U.S. and France, and many people believed that a war would break out if the Americans did not buy New Orleans. Thomas Jefferson himself thought troubles were

Most importantly, Thomas Jefferson deeply contradicted his views on land expansion and violated his policy on following the constitution completely. A prime example of this was the Louisiana Purchase, in which Napoleon offered Jefferson the opportunity to purchase all of France's American territory for only $15 million, doubling the physical size of the nation. The French needed the money to fight a war with the British, and Jefferson wanted the mouth of the Mississippi River for America. So, Jefferson "gave the Constitution a close reading" to seek authorization for such a move. Failing to find any, he decided to unconstitutionally take the offer anyway (Doc C). This clearly violated his previous views on such an issue. However, it is obvious that Jefferson made the right decision in the matter, and the American people should be very grateful for Jefferson's

Some of the abuses he describes are shutting off trade with other parts of the world, quartering troops within the colonies, and forcing colonists to be tried in England. Jefferson and others saw these as a violation the people’s right to choose. It was his dream that men should be able to appoint their own government and vote on all decisions that would affect them.

When the Europeans and Spaniards first “discovered” North America all was well. The Indians at first were truly intrigued with the white man as the brought all sorts of new stuff to trade. Matter a fact the first set of settlers would not been able to survive without the help of the Indians. Unfortunately, the settlers had very little respect for the land and resources. The Europeans then starting using violence to get what they wanted and as the number of settlers increased the Indians new that they were in over their heads. With all the new settlers came diseases such as small pox and measles. These diseases hurt the Indian tribes severely, and with the ignorance the settler’s wars began; the Indian Wars, the Indian Removal Act, Wounded knee, and the trail of tears are only a few of the many. The U.S. Government took it upon themselves to start relocation programs, with these programs the Indians were ripped from their homes, required to speak only the language of the settlers and robbed of their customs. The children of the tribes were taken away and sent to special schools to Americanize them and forget about their heritage. Then in the late 1800’s the government started

President Jefferson’s major personal moral dilemma was actually purchasing the territory of louisiana from the french. Jefferson was a strong Democratic-Republican. This party was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, This party was created in opposition of the federalist party which was led by Alexander Hamilton. The Democratic-Republican party believed that a strong central national government would deplete and completely rid the rights of states. The party strongly disapproved of the national Bank Of The United States stating that the bank was taking away power that belonged to the states. Among many of the views of the Democratic-Republican the strongest belief was to strictly abided by the constitution, so when the opportunity arose to purchase the French owned territory, the constitution did not state whether the government could or could not acquire any new land

States rights were a thing that Jefferson was also very passionate about, as he believed that the central government was strictly meant to handle foreign affairs and that the states were able to govern themselves. Because of this, he strongly opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which he believed were a violation of states’ rights. In retaliation, he made the Kentucky Resolutions, limiting federal powers to what they were written in the Constitution. Although Jefferson was an avid supporter of common man, it seemed that he wasn’t as partial towards minority groups like Blacks and Native Americans. Jefferson owned slaves himself and had suggested removing Native Americans from their homes after the Louisiana Purchase.

Thomas Jefferson had mixed emotions about the Louisiana Purchase. On one hand, he knew it would be a grand opportunity, and the United States would be assured free navigation of the Mississippi River. Also, it would double our nation in size and be considered one of the largest, if not the largest, land transaction in history. On the other hand, he was conflicted whether or not to buy the Louisiana Territory because of guidelines set forth in the Constitution. The Constitution did not specifically

Among other beliefs, Thomas Jefferson’s strict construction views of interpreting the Constitution helped him win the 1800 election and oust the Federalist party. The Jeffersonian party, also called the Democratic-Republicans, believed that the Constitution should be interpreted strictly, that the National government should only have those powers that were specifically delegated to it by the Constitution, and that the states should maintain independent control in order to govern themselves. To the contrary, the Federalist party believed that in order to grow strong as a Nation, the Federal government must be powerful and argued that the Constitution could be interpreted in a broad or loose manner in order to give their National government as much authority as was necessary. However, during the Jefferson and

Thomas Jefferson was an agrarian soul who favored popular rule. He placed his trust in the land and the people who farmed it and desired that America would remain a nation of farmers. He emphasized liberty, democracy, and social welfare and believed that

Although Robert Livingston’s ideas were prevalent throughout the Revolution, his main political accomplishment was in creating the Louisiana purchase(216). At first Livingston acted as a spy, reporting back to Jefferson on Napoleon’s plans with Louisiana, but after the failure of Leclerc’s army, Livingston’s importance grew. When presented with the historic offer by Napoleon, Livingston overstepped his political authority and signed the revolutionary deal.(221). Without Livingston’s realization of the significance of the deal the Louisiana Purchase might never have happened as Napoleon soon had second thoughts. The other significant improvisation during the Louisiana Purchase was by Jefferson himself. At that point in his presidency, Jefferson vehemently believed in the evils of federal power. However to pass the Purchase he had to oppose his Republican principles. Although he wanted to make an Amendment, stalling would increase the chance of France rescinding their terms, so he was forced to approve it(226). This is an example of a politician putting his nation over his own personal morals, a tough choice, but one that was instrumental in shaping the America we live

Most Americans have at least some vague understanding of the Trail of Tears, but not many know about the events that led to that tragic removal of thousands of Indians from their homeland. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government. The Indians had to agree to removal to maintain their tribe identities. Trail of Tears is an excellent example of a particular situation and will be eye opening to those who are not familiar with the story of the southern tribes and their interactions with the rapidly growing American population. The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that indicates the callousness, insensitivity, and cruelty of American government toward American Indians in 1839 and 1839.

During Thomas Jefferson’s presidency he faced a huge moral dilemma concerning the Louisiana Purchase most predominately from the concerns that the purchase could be considered unconstitutional because nowhere in constitution did it grant power for the president to make land acquisitions.

The Native Indians were a peaceful nation, who after many years of colonization, were being pushed farther west as time went on. The United States felt the need and duty to expand westward as more people immigrated to America. They would go to any lengths to accomplish their goal, even if it meant inhumanly getting rid of Indians living there. The Natives wanted to peacefully settle the issue by agreeing on treaties, but the United States government continually disregarded the agreements. During Westward expansion America unequivocally disregarded the Native Indians indisputable rights and violently diminished the population.

Thomas Jefferson held firmly to his principles and ideals but the practical reality of leadership forced Jefferson to make decisions for the best interest of the country. When Jefferson was elected adjustments had to be made to the economy and new acts had to be composed in an effort to the United States safe. Events would take place in America where Jefferson would have to determine if should follow his principles or abandon them in domestic affairs. Jefferson was a pacifist at heart, and did his best to keep the United States out of foreign conflicts and entangling. His ideals were peaceful but at points he would have to violate these ideals. Jefferson envisioned a land of agriculture and where government would have minimal power over

Our president, Andrew Jackson could not have cared less about the Native Americans. During his presidency, he was ruthless when it came to gaining land. Jackson didn’t care who he hurt, as long as it bettered him and his country. During this period, America was half the size it is today, and the ways in which it gained the rest of its land was very cruel. For years, the Natives lived peacefully away from the hustle and bustle of the American life. The French had owned the land in the area, but did not bother the Natives whatsoever. When America made the Louisiana Purchase from the French, the way of life went downhill for the Native Americans. This new land was precious to Jackson, and he did not want “wild and rude tribes” living there. This name “savages,” given by Jackson, stuck to Natives for many years, even appearing on maps. The government pressured Natives to become “civilized” and to adopt the American ways. Jackson also spread propaganda like wildfire to his people, so he could get the people on his side to support his cruel plan. His plan to rid the American population of “savages” was called the “Indian Removal Act”, and many of the the actions he took through this plan were morally unjustified.