Although the Declaration of Independence represents a milestone in American history, in 1776 this event was only significant for the white men who had taken over the lands of the New World. The reason why it was written that “all men are created equal” was because the founding fathers had a narrow definition of who qualified as a human, considering that Native Americans are addressed in this document as “merciless Indian savages.” This was further proved by Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forcefully removed Native tribes from their ancestral homes. Despite the efforts of the Indian tribes to fight Jackson’s removal policy, and even if the government had proposed a less cruel and fairer plan to make use of the Indian lands, the core issue remained on the moral excuse used by Jackson and the government to justify the dehumanization of Indians and the forced appropriation of …show more content…
their lands. The forced removal and re-appropriation of Indian lands by the government were based on a moral justification.
Jackson declared to his soldiers that the destruction of Indians was necessary for the advancement of civilization. He stated after the war against the Creeks, “The fiends will no longer murder our women and children, or disturb the quiet of our borders… How lamentable it is that the path to peace should lead through blood… which inflicts partial evil to produce general good.” Jackson makes the situation sound as if the white settlers had been victims of Indian savagery, when in reality Jackson and his troops were the ones behaving as savages. One of the ways in which Indian groups fought back was in war, which made sense because they were trying to defend the lands of their ancestors. Furthermore, Takaki notes that Jackson and his troops “made bridle reins from strips of skin taken from [Indian] corpses… and preserved the scalps of the killed.” This is a real example of a brutal act, yet Jackson was proud of the way he destroyed his enemies and their savage
conduct. Jackson later presented a more “humane” approach to the removal of Indians. He defended his motives by claiming that his goal was to protect Indians from the influence of white men, but still reminded them of the consequences of not accepting his advice. Even then, he persisted with the belief that “what happened to the native people was moral and inevitable; their graves represented the advance of civilization across America.” Nevertheless, the Indians continued to approach this situation to the best of their ability. In 1831, the Cherokee nation petitioned the Supreme Court sovereign rule over their nation, yet the court denied it. At this point, a real solution to this problem didn’t seem possible until the government stopped viewing Native Americans as uncivilized people who were not qualified to be ruled under the same legislation as white men. The situation of Native Americans would not have been any different even if an alternative plan was presented to relocate these tribes. If I had been a politician in the 1830s, I would have tried to set up a plan to meet the needs of both Indians and politicians, even if this meant splitting the land for the two of them. However, the reality was that Jackson was ambitious and wanted more than he needed, considering that his fortunes were tied to the removal of the Indians. For example, Jackson would pay $100 for a certain piece of land and would later sell only half of the property for three times its price, and years later for even more. Jackson maintained a moral posture and used the law for the benefit of the white people. This is why the United States didn’t have a valid case to remove the Indians because the original intentions of the leaders of the country were selfish and the consequent actions inhumane, even though people may argue that the Indian Removal Act was necessary for the expansion of the United States.
Hunt Jackson was one of the very few whites to sympathize with the mistreatment of the indians. felt strongly had very contrasting approach. Stated in the excerpt, “... among these three hundred bands of indians one which has not suffered cruelly at the hands either of the government or of white settlers.” Simply put, the lives of all indians had been affected due to the lies and broken promises made by the government. In order for the lives of Indians to change, cheating, robbing, and breaking promises must cease. Hunt Jackson differentes the argument compared to Chief Jackson when it comes to the prescription of what needs to happen to the Indians. It was supported that not all Indians at the same time should be given freedom. Owing to the fact that almost all Indians were a “barrier to civilization”, for Western civilization was unknown as a daily practice. In addition, there is much distrust that can be viewed and sights of possible danger toward the whites. All in all, Chief Joseph and Helen Hunt Jackson shared common beliefs toward the fact that Indians deserve equal treatment, and the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, while Helen hunt Jackson opposes the idea of full citizenship to all indians, Chief Joseph finds it a necessity to be at peace and
Throughout Jackson's two terms as President, Jackson used his power unjustly. As a man from the Frontier State of Tennessee and a leader in the Indian wars, Jackson loathed the Native Americans. Keeping with consistency, Jackson found a way to use his power incorrectly to eliminate the Native Americans. In May 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed into law the Indian Removal Act. This act required all tribes east of the Mississippi River to leave their lands and travel to reservations in the Oklahoma Territory on the Great Plains. This was done because of the pressure of white settlers who wanted to take over the lands on which the Indians had lived. The white settlers were already emigrating to the Union, or America. The East Coast was burdened with new settlers and becoming vastly populated. President Andrew Jackson and the government had to find a way to move people to the West to make room. In 1830, a new state law said that the Cherokees would be under the jurisdiction of state rather than federal law. This meant that the Indians now had little, if any, protection against the white settlers that desired their land. However, when the Cherokees brought their case to the Supreme Court, they were told that they could not sue on the basis that they were not a foreign nation. In 1832, though, on appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokees were a "domestic dependent nation," and therefore, eligible to receive federal protection against the state. However, Jackson essentially overruled the decision. By this, Jackson implied that he had more power than anyone else did and he could enforce the bill himself. This is yet another way in which Jackson abused his presidential power in order to produce a favorable result that complied with his own beliefs. The Indian Removal Act forced all Indians tribes be moved west of the Mississippi River. The Choctaw was the first tribe to leave from the southeast.
Under the Jackson Administration, the changes made shaped national Indian policy. Morally, Andrew Jackson dismissed prior ideas that natives would gradually assimilate into white culture, and believed that removing Indians from their homes was the best answer for both the natives and Americans. Politically, before Jackson treaties were in place that protected natives until he changed those policies, and broke those treaties, violating the United States Constitution. Under Jackson’s changes, the United States effectively gained an enormous amount of land. The removal of the Indians west of the Mississippi River in the 1830’s changed the national policy in place when Jackson became President as evidenced by the moral, political, constitutional, and practical concerns of the National Indian Policy.
... the unwilling tribes west of the Mississippi. In Jackson’s letter to General John Coffee on April 7, 1832, he explained that the Cherokees were still in Georgia, and that they ought to leave for their own benefit because destruction will come upon them if they stay. By 1835, most eastern tribes had unwillingly complied and moved west. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was created in 1836 to help out the resettled tribes. Most Cherokees rejected the settlement of 1835, which provided land in the Indian territory. It was not until 1838, after Jackson had left office, that the U.S. Army forced 15,000 Cherokees to leave Georgia. The hardships on the “trail of tears” were so great that over 4,000 Cherokees died on their heartbreaking westward journey. In conclusion, the above statement is valid and true. The decision the Jackson administration made to remove the Cherokee Indians to lands west of the Mississippi River was a reformulation of the national policy. Jackson, along with past Presidents George Washington, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson, tried to rid the south of Indians This process of removing the native people was continuous as the years went on.
The American Indians were promised change with the American Indian policy, but as time went on no change was seen. “Indian reform” was easy to promise, but it was not an easy promise to keep as many white people were threatened by Indians being given these rights. The Indian people wanted freedom and it was not being given to them. Arthur C. Parker even went as far as to indict the government for its actions. He brought the charges of: robbing a race of men of their intellectual life, of social organization, of native freedom, of economic independence, of moral standards and racial ideals, of his good name, and of definite civic status (Hoxie 97). These are essentially what the American peoples did to the natives, their whole lives and way of life was taken away,
Unfortunately, this great relationship that was built between the natives and the colonists of mutual respect and gain was coming to a screeching halt. In the start of the 1830s, the United States government began to realize it’s newfound strength and stability. It was decided that the nation had new and growing needs and aspirations, one of these being the idea of “Manifest Destiny”. Its continuous growth in population began to require much more resources and ultimately, land. The government started off as simply bargaining and persuading the Indian tribes to push west from their homeland. The Indians began to disagree and peacefully object and fight back. The United States government then felt they had no other option but to use force. In Indian Removal Act was signed by Andrew Jackson on May 18, 1830. This ultimately resulted in the relocation of the Eastern tribes out west, even as far as to the edge of the Great Plains. A copy of this act is laid out for you in the book, Th...
The removal of the Native Americans was an egocentric move on Jackson’s part. Jackson was only able to see how our removal would benefit the government but was not concerned at all about our values and culture. “It puts an end to all possible danger of collision between the authorities of the general and state governments on account of the Indians” (91). This statement, included in the State of the Union Address, exhibits how Jackson was quick to place blame on the Indians. He was basically saying that if there were any disputes between the general and state governments, it would be because of the Indian’s choice to not leave the land. Jackson was attempting to hold the Indians accountable for a matter that they had no say in. It is evident that Jackson could have are less about the Indian’s home land, where we were birthed and raised our kids. It is clear that the sentimental value of the land did not concern Jackson at all. Jackson felt that he offered us an equitable exchange, but his family was not the one being forcefully removed from their birthland to go to an unfamiliar land. “What good m...
... one of the stipulations and had to be settled. The removal of the Natives in an effort to protect the American people on the frontier proceeded, and was all the region of present-day Oklahoma, as shown in document L. These actions are viewed as cruel and unjust, but it was the way that would’ve dealt the least damage. Further delaying the issue would’ve soon set into altercations between the various Native tribes and the United States of America. In retrospect, Jackson served to protect the people.
Some of these individual efforts worsened the outcome for the whole tribe. Jackson’s manipulative ways of handling this situation in office and out of office forced the Cherokee to make hard decisions, and I feel like these decision makers for the Cherokee failed miserably. The reason behind the lack of attack on Jackson is quite obvious, politicians have been acting like politicians well since the very beginning. As selfish and egocentric as his view was, he knew what the was going to do, and being president of this powerful nation not much any one nation could do to stop him let alone the nation of a tribe.
The Indian removal was so important to Jackson that he went back to Tennessee to have the first negotiations in person. He gave the Indians a couple simple alternatives. Alternatives like to submit to state authority, or migrate beyond the Mississippi. Jackson Offered generous aid on one hand and while holding the threat of subjugation in the other. The Chickasaws and Choctaws submitted quickly. The only tribe that resisted until the end was the Cherokees. President Jackson’s presidency was tarnished by the way the U.S. government handled the Native Americans. Although financially, and economically Jackson truly was a good leader, some people view him in a negative way because of the “Indian Removal Act.”
President Jackson singlehandedly led the destruction of the Native Americans with his aggressive actions and hostile decisions. President Jackson shirked his responsibility to protect the Native Americans of the United States by ignoring the Supreme Court’s decision, promoting legislation to bring about the separation of Native Americans and whites, and his decision to involve the United States Armed Forces against Indian Tribes. If it was not for President Jackson’s actions, the future of the Native Americans would have been different, or at least the American settlers wanted Indian land for many reasons. These reasons include geography and terrain, location, resources, and old grudges. First, the geography was perfect for farmers with fertile land.
The tragedy of the Cherokee nation has haunted the legacy of Andrew Jackson"'"s Presidency. The events that transpired after the implementation of his Indian policy are indeed heinous and continually pose questions of morality for all generations. Ancient Native American tribes were forced from their ancestral homes in an effort to increase the aggressive expansion of white settlers during the early years of the United States. The most notable removal came after the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The Cherokee, whose journey was known as the '"'Trail of Tears'"', and the four other civilized tribes, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole, were forced to emigrate to lands west of the Mississippi River, to what is now day Oklahoma, against their will. During the journey westward, over 60,000 Indians were forced from their homelands. Approximately 4000 Cherokee Indians perished during the journey due to famine, disease, and negligence. The Cherokees to traveled a vast distance under force during the arduous winter of 1838-1839.# This is one of the saddest events in American history, yet we must not forget this tragedy.
This evidently supports Jackson’s presidency to be “hostile” since Jackson was ill-disposed and belligerent towards the Indians since they were cornered into the choice of relocating to the West and their opinions on this idea was clearly disregarded and uncared for by Jackson. In addition, The Trail of Tears where 16,000 Cherokees were forced out of their homes by federal troops, only carrying the belongings they had on their person, set out on a long journey over the fall and winter of 1838-1839 because they stood their ground and refused to leave their homelands, but alas one-fourth of them died along the journey due to the harsh weather and conditions of their trip. Jackson believed his policy was fair and allowed the Natives to keep their way of life. This event that occurred under Jackson’s administration demonstrates clearly as why as his presidency was chaotic and a failure since so many innocent Native lives were lost in a state of disorder caused by Jackson since he compulsed them to leave their homes and his policy was truly a failure because he didn’t receive the outcome he thought he would since Natives were not able to keep their way of life, they were pulled from their roots and abandoned to be left somewhere else, and their thoughts and appeals to protect their land was ignored and it was unjust since it was already decided they would
In 1814, he became a national hero by killing eight hundred Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. When the Indians like the Cherokee fought back or rebelled in ways that are insignificant in comparison to the Revolutionary War, whole villages were destroyed (page 130). Much like Southern Paternalism, wherein supporters of slavery justified it by claiming slavery benefited everyone involved, Andrew Jackson claimed, “We bleed our enemies in such eases to give them their senses.” (Page 127) This was Jackson’s response after signing the treaty of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, which took away half the land of the Creek nation and was, "the largest single Indian cession of southern American land. It took land from Creeks who had fought with Jackson as well as those who had fought against him.” (Page 129) His justification was that they were bettering the Indians, allowing them easier lifestyles because they were introducing them to modern civilization. What I don’t understand is how come groups like the American Antislavery Society that we learned about in Chapter 15, did not fight for the rights of the Indians. Their arguments included that it was inhumane to enslave others; when did it become humane to punish others to fight for their land and
The settlers worried that the Creeks would join the British and go against the them, so led by General Andrew Jackson they set out to destroy the Creeks. On August 30th, 1813 the Creeks launched a surprised attack against the people of Fort Mims, killing over 200 people. This enraged General Jackson had vowed his revenge against the Creeks and when talking to his soldiers he said “you will teach the cannibals who reveled in the carnage of our unoffending Citizens at Fort Mims that the thunder of our arms is more terrible then the Earthquake of their Prophets, and that Heaven Dooms to inevitable destruction the wretch who Smiles at the torture he inflicts and who neither spares female innocence, declining age nor helpless infancy”.(Takaki, 2008, p. 80) General Jackson and his army of 3,000 soldiers along with all their arms and even a cannon marched to the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in what we now know as Tohopeka Alabama. Jackson arrived with his soldiers on March 27th, 1814 where they out numbered the Creek Indians 3:1. Jackson wanted one thing, revenge, and he would not stop until the Creek Nation was destroyed. He and his soldiers ended up killing almost all of the 800 Creeks that were there, even some women and children we killed. After Jackson’s army killed almost all of the Creeks they did horrible things to the bodies, like making reins from their