Removal of Indians essays

Removal of Indians essays In the early 1800's, the colonists in the United States were on the move, and the country was expanding westward. This left little land for the Native Americans to live on. By 1839, thirteen thousand Cherokees were driven into Indian Territory (later Oklahoma), in what became known as the Trail of Tears. There were principal arguments made for the removal of the Cherokee Indians. According to Discovering the American Past, I can see one man that delivered these principal arguments: Andrew Jackson. In this paper, I will discuss the principal arguments given by Jackson, for the removal of the Cherokee. Andrew Jackson once wrote that Cherokees have neither the intelligence, the industry, the moral habits, nor the desire of improvement... in their condition. This quote automatically led me to believe that Jackson was totally for the removal of the Indians. Jackson was the president during the time of the removal of the Cherokee. He made his first annual message to Congress on December 8, 1829. In this address, he gave some reasons for the Indian removal. According to Jackson, the whites had been trying to convert the Indians from their savage ways. Some of the Southern Indian tribes were trying to create an independent government, inside Georgia and Alabama. These states extended their laws over the Indians, which caused the latter to call upon the United States for protection. The Constitution states that no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State, without the consent of its legislature. Jackson said that if this holds to be true, then a foreign, independent government could definitely not establish itself there. Jackson believed that in moving the Indians, it would be beneficial for them to move to the Indian Territory. He stated that each tribe would have distinct control over the portion designated for their use. They could have their own...