Kyra Cooperman 12/8/13 American Studies: Unit 5 Essay Purple

Indians In the 1820s and 1830s

On May 28, 1830, a law called the Indian Removal Act was passed. The law stated that the Creek, Seminole, Choctaw, Cherokee and Chickasaw Indians had to move west of the Mississippi.1 Although the Indians were in America first, Americans claimed it for their own and took authority. Later on, the Indian Removal Act led into sending Indians on the Trail of Tears. The Americans passed the Indian Removal Act and sent the Indians on the Trail of Tears because they thought that they were superior to the Indians. The Americans gave themselves authority over the Indians. As the Americans began to discover how good the Cherokees land was, they invaded. The Americans burned down Cherokee shelters and raided all of their food and livestock. It was when that happened that the American government decided to get rid of the Indians by writing the Indian Removal Act.2 The Indian Removal Act signed by President Andrew Jackson stated, That it shall and may be lawful for the President to exchange any or all of such districts, so to be laid off and described, with any tribe or nation of the Indians now residing within the limits of any of the states or

Denial, Catherine J. "Indian Removal Act." In Rohrbough, Malcolm J., and Gary B. Nash, eds. Encyclopedia of American History: Expansion and Reform, 1813 to 1855, Revised Edition (Volume IV). New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=EAHIV128&SingleRecord=True (accessed December 5, 2013).
2 Trail of Tears, The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/trail-of-tears (accessed Dec 6, 2013)

territories, and with which the United States have existing treaties 3At the time when this was written, Manifest Destiny was very popular. The Americans wanted to be able to expand without worrying about other people. Because of this desire, the act was passed in hopes of an easier expansion. The Americans took charge over the Indians when writing this law because they declared themselves able to move a whole group of people. Since they did they did that, the Americans must have thought themselves to be better, or superior, to the Indians. The Americans also thought that the Indians were of little value. While the American army troops forced the Indians westward on the Trail of Tears, they ignored the thousands of Indian deaths. Although many Indians died and their families mourned, the troops wouldnt let them stop marching west.4 If the troops cared or valued the Indians, they would let them mourn and understand their losses. In a speech that Andrew Jackson delivers on December 17th, 1835, he discusses the topic of Indian Removal in America. He says, All preceding experiments for the improvement of the Indians have failed. It seems now to be an established fact that they can not live in contact with a civilized community and prosper.5 The way that President Jackson addressed the Indians was as if they were worthless things, not

3 "Indian Removal Act." American Indian History Online. Facts On File,

Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE43&iPin=ind5159&SingleRecord=True (accessed December 6, 2013).

4 "TRAIL OF TEARS." TRAIL OF TEARS.

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/Tr003.html (accessed December 5, 2013).

5

Jackson, Andrew. "Message on the Removal of Southern Indians." Messages and Papers of the Presidents, 17891897, Vol. III, ed. James D. Richardson, p. 147177. American Indian History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE43&iPin=ind5163&SingleRecord=True (accessed December 4, 2013).

human beings. Jacksons words also show that the Americans did not think of the Indians as civilized or as good as them. Before the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee Indians lived in Georgia. Although they lived within the boundaries, the Cherokee were not allowed to become citizens of Georgia or the United States. As the Cherokee nation grew and developed in the 1820s, they wrote a constitution in 1827. The people and government of Georgia were furious. They did not think that the Indians should be allowed to form their own government in the same space as the civilized Georgians.6 Although the Indians were in the location first, Georgia had formed a government before the Cherokee, which was what mattered to the state. Others might argue that the Indians were treated as equals with total respect from the Americans. In 1763, the King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763. The proclamation declared that American colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. That land was reserved for the Indians.7 The British reserved a lot of land for the Indians so they must have had some respect for them. The proclamation was passed before America was its own country and it was a British law. The Americans did not think about respecting the Indians land and even disregarded the Proclamation of 1763. The Indians also were not complete victims in the attacks. There were many cases where the Indians started the fight. Between 1865 and 1867, the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors attacked the Americans.8

6 "CHEROKEE." CHEROKEE. http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/c/ch014.html (accessed

December 6, 2013).
7 "Proclamation of 1763." Proclamation of 1763.

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/proc63.htm (accessed December 7, 2013).

8 Appleby, Joyce, Brinkley, Alan and McPherson, James M., The American Journey, (McGraw Hill: 2005)

Although the attacks were staged because of the Americans provoking the Indians and taking their land, the Indians started the violent aspect. The Americans thought themselves to be superior to the Indians and did not treat them with respect. The idea of Manifest Destiny was so important to the Americans that other people did not matter. All that concerned them was obstacles that prevented them from expanding, such as the Indians.

I have completed this assignment in accordance with the Newark Academy Honor Code.