Introduction

President Andrew Jackson signed up the Indian Removal Act in 1830.  The main aim of the Act was to relocate the Native Americans from their original lands to create space for the increasing American immigrants (Cave, 2003). A few tribes moved from their ancestral lands peacefully while many of the tribes resisted the policy and the Act forced them out of their homes which included Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, creek, and Seminole. The tribes had a population of approximately sixty-five thousand people who resided in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi (Cave, 2003). The Americans had a main interest and goal of expanding their nation and growing economically. The Act portrayed the abuse of power by President Jackson and Americans’ Greed for success.

The main problem of the United States presidents involved permanently removing the Native residents. President Jackson found the battle proceeding and continued with the fight when he joined the Office in 1828 (Davis, 2010). The president had a negative attitude towards the Indians and perceived them as barbarians. Before his election, he had reprimanded and separated the Creek and Seminole from their ancestral land. He had the mindset of establishing a policy that would remove the remaining Inherent population from America to the Indian Territory. However, the Removal Act was not Jackson’s first idea, the thought emerged after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and was later formally developed by John C. of S. Carolina in 1823 (Cave, 2003). President officially signed and passed the policy since it was acceptable as the best solution to relocate the Native Americans. He also developed treaties for the Indians to sign as proof that they have accepted to move from their lands.

The Native tribes initially signed the treaties agreeing to exchange their land for westerns in the period amid 1817 and1825 (Cave, 2003). However, these preliminary treaties did not mandate anyone to shift to the west. Most of the Instinctive population remained in their homes with small number relocating to Mississippi to settle. Some of the Indians joined their relatives who were already in the Indian territories. A few Choctaw families moved after the Doaks treaty in 1820 while some of the creek and Cherokee population relocated in 1818 after signing the treaty (Davis, 2010). The pressure of relocation for the tribes increased in 1829 and 1830 when President Andrew signed and passed the Removal Act. However, the Seminoles and Cherokees resisted the Removal Act.

The Act was an abuse of power exerted on the Indians tribes inhabiting the America land by the colonizers and President Jackson. Many Indians lost their lives, loved ones, and their ancestral land. The Act can be best referred to as “Trail of tears. Cherokee resided in Georgia since 1791 (Morris, 2007). However, in 1828, the Americans forcefully removed them from their native land so they could occupy the land and also mine gold. Following the reclaim, the Cherokee protested and filed a case (Worcester vs. Georgia) to the U.S Supreme Court. The Supreme Court favored the Cherokee tribe calling it unconstitutional which caused a war between the Georgia representatives. The controversy between the Cherokee and Georgia officials led to the death of approximately 4, 000. Consequently, the Cherokee nation faced hunger strikes, epidemic diseases, and extreme cold during their relocation to Mississippi (Morris, 2007). The Cherokee struggled in poverty for over 100 years in their new home and livelihood of many broke up.

The Cherokee did not face the trails alone but other natives also faced the problems. The tribes initially existed as self-governed by the American deep south (Cave, 20013). George Washington and Henry Knox used to conduct cultural transition for the tribes. The Choctaw was the first tribe to detach in 1831, followed by Seminole in 1832, creek in 1834 (Davis, 2010). Preceding the removal, the Chickasaw transited in 1837, and Cherokee was the last tribe to transform in 1838. It took approximately thirty years to relocate all the Americans Native tribes.

The removal of the Cherokee happened furiously because of the discovery of gold on their land in Georgia (Morris, 2007). Many white rushed to the region. However, the Georgia state passed a law that prevented the Cherokee and other Native Americans from appealing in trials that the white man evaded their land and prevented them from mining gold in their own land. The accomplishment of Georgia encouraged the Alabama legislature to develop similar laws to the Creeks and Cherokees. Subsequently, the Mississippi also applied the same laws to the Choctaws and Chickasaw (Morris, 2007). The laws were a true portrait of abuse of power towards the Native population as the tribes felt discriminated by the state and federal government.

Seminoles also resisted moving terming the policy as “unjust”. The refusal led to a second Seminole war which lasted for seven years from 1835 to 1842 (Cave, 2003). However, the resistance movement faded when their leader, Osceola, was imprisoned and left to die in 1837. President Andrew Jackson spent more dollars to ensure Seminole removal succeeded (Davis, 2010). He also signed many relocation treaties which led to the removal of fifty thousand Native Americans to Indian Territories.

Despite the effects of the Act, some Nations benefited from their relocation journey (Berr, 2016). In 1836, Arkansas gained statehood form the frontier territory on the nation’s outskirt with the ten years. The General Congress developed a regulation that led to the establishment of the Arkansas state bank and Real Estate Bank of Arkansas. The removal of the Native Americans and their settlement in the Indian territories fueled the operations of the banks. In the period between 1836 and 1843, the leaders at the bank operated as agents for the Indian office Affairs (Berry, 2016). Additionally, the men engaged in the corruption at the expense of Removal of Indians through Arkansas. Unfortunately, the fraud led to the closure of the banks.

Conclusion

 It is imperative to note that many will not concur that the U.S nation would have not developed as it is today if President Jackson failed to pass the Removal Act. The Act might have started as a good intention but unfortunately, it turned to inhumane Act. Many of the Indians still struggle to survive on small parcels of land in the Indian territories. Americans portrayed their Selfishness and greed. President Andrew thought. He would leave a great legacy of laws and treaties he developed but, instead, his actions highlighted his authoritative, deceitful, ignorant and coercive of human rights. 

 

References

Berry L. C. (2016). Frontier Capitalism: Early Arkansas banking and Indian removal, 1819-1860. (ProQuest Publication NO. 10118058). University of Arkansas: U.S Little Rock

Cave, A. A. (2003). Abuse of power: Andrew Jackson and the Indian removal act of 1830. The Historian, 65(6), 1330-1353.

Davis, E. (2010). An administrative trail of tears: Indian removal. American Journal of Legal History, 50(1), 49-100. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajlh/50.1.49

Morris, M. (2007). Georgia and the Conversation over Indian Removal. The Georgia Historical Quarterly, 91(4), 403-423. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40585021