Indian Removal
“I was here first!” is something that many children have shouted when trying to keep their spot in a line or at a crowded activity. However, sometimes this is more than a petty argument amongst kids. The Indian Removal Act was pushed through Congress by President Andrew Jackson, giving President Jackson the power to negotiate treaties with Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River (“Indian Removal”). Originally, the relocations were supposed to be voluntary: the Indians could either relocate to the West of the Mississippi River, or they could stay where they were and begin to abide by the laws of the state in which they resided. However, this began to go awry when Indians were vocal about their disagreements to this new policy.
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The Indian Removal Act forced the Cherokee Indians to give up any land east of the Mississippi River. This mass migration of about 15,000 Cherokee Indians is now referred to by the Cherokee Nation as The Trail of Tears, due to the adverse impact it had on the Cherokee. Nearly 4,000 Native Americans died during this mass migration, due to the plethora of obstacles they faced, including starvation and exhaustion (“The Trail of Tears”). Another one of the Five Civil Tribes, the Creeks, lost about 3,500 members when they were forced from their lands in Alabama (“Stories”). However, it was not only the long distances Indians had to travel away from their homelands that troubled …show more content…
He forced several Native American tribes to leave their lands by threatening them with powers larger than themselves and by obligating them to agree to treaties, unless they wanted to suffer even further. Moreover, President Jackson purposely defied a Supreme Court ruling to act on his beliefs regarding Indians. President Jackson also failed to assist Indian tribes as they trekked to the land hundreds of miles away from their homelands, making him responsible for thousands of Native American deaths. Clearly, the Indian Removal Act and the events that occurred as a result of it were unethical and an abuse of power by President Andrew
The Indian Removal Act forced the Cherokee Indians to give up any land east of the Mississippi River. This mass migration of about 15,000 Cherokee Indians is now referred to by the Cherokee Nation as The Trail of Tears, due to the adverse impact it had on the Cherokee. Nearly 4,000 Native Americans died during this mass migration, due to the plethora of obstacles they faced, including starvation and exhaustion (“The Trail of Tears”). Another one of the Five Civil Tribes, the Creeks, lost about 3,500 members when they were forced from their lands in Alabama (“Stories”). However, it was not only the long distances Indians had to travel away from their homelands that troubled …show more content…
He forced several Native American tribes to leave their lands by threatening them with powers larger than themselves and by obligating them to agree to treaties, unless they wanted to suffer even further. Moreover, President Jackson purposely defied a Supreme Court ruling to act on his beliefs regarding Indians. President Jackson also failed to assist Indian tribes as they trekked to the land hundreds of miles away from their homelands, making him responsible for thousands of Native American deaths. Clearly, the Indian Removal Act and the events that occurred as a result of it were unethical and an abuse of power by President Andrew