How Did The Indian Removal Act Contribute To The Jacksonian Democracy

In order for Andrew Jackson to get the Creeks and other Indians to agree to the treaties he would promise security in a different

So when Andrew Jackson became president he made a law where the Indians had to move past the Mississippi River.

Lindsey Hernandez Johnson U.S. Honors 28 September 2015 The Indian Removal Act & Trail of Tears Picture this; someone is in their home with their family, they are the first people to ever settle in this land, Native American, with their own language, religion and one day white people come. The white people are treated with kindness and welcome, not out of dignity but out of fear. There is peace.

The Indian Removal Act, which is the law authorized the president to negotiate with Indian tribes for their removal to west of the Mississippi River in trade for their lands, was passed by congress on May 28, 1830 since the President Jackson signed into this law. In other words, this law enabled to remove the Indians from their native lands. Through the Indian Removal Act, the five civilized tribes Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole were affected and forced to relocate their tribes from east of the Mississippi River to area in the west. President Andrew Jackson was a strong opponent of Indians and fought against them before becoming president in 1828. Even though some of people opposed this act, most Americans who lived in southern area supported this Indian Removal Act.

The constitution of the United States reads; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This didn’t seem to apply to the Native Americans. An instance in which the Jacksonian Democrats violated the Constitution was during the "Trail of Tears". The Cherokee Indians called the journey Nunahi-Duna-Dlo-Hilu-I, which translates to "Trail Where They Cried”, now known as the “Trail of Tears”. The Supreme Court stated that the Jacksonian Democrats' actions were unconstitutional because they had issued the "Indian Removal Act".

President Jackson was described as representing the beliefs of the “average” American because at the time most Americans were for expanding the territory of the United States so that their population could grow without being an overpopulated area. They also wanted to remove Indians from their territory so that this would be possible. Some people got the idea that if the Indians were not going to benefit the United States that they were a waste of space. They thought the Indians should be removed from the land that they had owned for thousands of years just so the U.S. could expand. A lot of Americans also saw Indian removal as one less thing that was needed to be done to get the United States to be an all- white nation.

(University of Richmond,1) It is rather a source of joy that our country affords scope where our young population may range unconstrained in body or in mind,developing the power and faculties of man in their highest perfection-stated President Andrew Jackson at his second State of The Union Address. He is prophesying about the promise and potential that the Indian Removal Act holds. Passed on May 28,1830,The Indian Removal Act allowed the US government to exchange unsettled lands west of the Mississippi River for Indian lands within the boundaries of southern states like Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. This was necessary because the jurisdiction was conflicting between the state government and the Indians.

The Trail of tears was when Andrew Jackson forced the Cherokee tribe to give up all of their land east of the mississippi river. In 1829, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian removal policy, to make it so the Indians would get with drawn from the east of the Mississippi River and relocate them to the west of the Mississippi River. The tribes that were affected were the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. These tribes had to leave their homeland and get relocated to the west of the Mississippi River against their will, so that slave owners could use their land for slavery. Andrew Jackson illegally forced the Cherokee tribe off of their land because the Supreme court ruled that the state of Mississippi couldn't make treaties or do anything that was on Cherokee land.

Confirming the Indian Removal Act was a step in the wrong direction because it was unconstitutional, formed even worse relationships with the natives than we already had, and it made Andrew Jackson seem to be a terrible president. The ratification of the Indian Removal Act was unconstitutional on Andrew Jacksonś part. The Cherokee had managed to bring their case to the Supreme Court (Worcester v. Georgia) and the Supreme Court was in their favor. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Cherokee had an ¨unquestionable right to their lands¨. Andrew Jackson ignored this and continued to pass the Indian Removal Act, disregarding the system of Checks and Balances. Some people may argue that the natives aren’t civilized enough to have that much land, so it made more sense for America to take over that land to make use of it, rather than to be politically correct.

In the early 1830’s, South Carolina had the idea that they could nullify the law. This meant that the states could disregard some of the federal laws. A man named John C. Calhoun Promoted the idea. In 1828, there was a tariff passed that put a tax on all imports. Calhoun and a lot of Southern states were outraged.

Andrew Jackson, despite being well known as the 7th United States president, seemed to act more like a king. With his opinion that the national government should have extreme power over the individual state governments, he seemed to be aiming for total control. He proclaimed equality for all people, while also ignoring the issues like slavery and women’s rights. At the same time speaking about helping the "Common Man" and the underprivileged, but doing nothing to help these groups.

The Trail of Tears and the Cherokee and Indian Removal Acts were some of the darkest times in American history. This was a period where thousands of Native Americans were taken from their homes and were forced to move West. These events were fueled by greed and prejudice from both the United States government and its citizens. People who had political power used their authority to harm the Natives and the common folk could do nothing to help. By the end, the Native Americans endured some of the most appalling treatments imaginable.

Many tribes were affected by this act but the major tribes affected are cherokee, chickasaw, creek,seminole,choctaw these tribes were most damaged as also the most civilized. They knew their own language and had many of their own invention to their way of life. When the Europeans came to native homelands they brought deadly diseases and that brought many deaths just about 3,000 Choctaw died and many more tribes suffered but in 18 38 the cherokee were forced out of their homeland and joined the march of tears. On there way over 4,000 were killed or died this brought native populations down 98 % of native americans died during the trial the government was trying to get as many tribes as they could to sign treaties. Chief black hawk leader of the fox and sauk tribes was a victim of the government 's “persuasive” tactics meaning they tortured and abused the natives to get them to sign treaties but some florida indians fought back for several years but the U.S. had power, weapons and numbers.

This complex debate generated a war over slavery that would tear the country apart. Three months prior to taking office, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Shortly after, it was joined by all of the other states in the Deep South, creating the Confederate States of America which included: South Carolina, Mississippi,

Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, was known as the main supporters of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Jackson believed that Native Americans were evil and could not be taught. When he became president, that was just the beginning of his legacy. The main goal in the 1830’s, was to rid of the Native Americans that lived in the Southeast areas. Also, Jackson wanted to gain more land, and that is why he pushed for the Act.