Indian Removal Dbq

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Imagine abruptly being forced out of your home. Imagine walking barefoot for miles and seeing people close to you collapse left and right. This is how every Native American on the Trail of Tears lived because of the Indian Removal Act. This act, signed by President Andrew Jackson on May 28 of 1830, granted him the right to grant unsettled lands in exchange for Indian lands. These lands were inhabited by the Five Civilized Tribes - the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. Due to the Indian Removal Act, these five tribes were forced off their land and sent 1500 miles west to present day Oklahoma. Thousands died of countless illnesses, their sufferings earning the migration its name - the Trail of Tears. The Indian Removal Act …show more content…

Many people may believe that the Indian Removal Act was voluntary and peaceful; that those who didn’t want to leave the land didn’t have to. President Jackson’s disregard of agreement says otherwise: “The removal was supposed to be voluntary and peaceful, and it was that way for the tribes that agreed to the conditions. But the southeastern nations resisted, and Jackson forced them to leave.” (PBS.org) This doesn’t sound like migration was voluntary and peaceful. This could have changed everything. If everything went according to the conditions, 4,000 Native Americans wouldn’t have died. If Jackson hadn’t gone against the tribes’ agreed wishes, people wouldn’t have protested America’s actions. If those who didn’t want to leave weren’t met with military force, none of these tragedies would have ever happened. All of this could have also been prevented if this were true: “... to give him[the average Native American] a new and extensive territory, to pay the expense of his removal, and support him a year in his new abode?”(Andrew Jackson’s Second Annual Message) All of these were conditions agreed to in the Indian Removal Act. Did the 5 Civilized Tribes ever see these conditions? No, they did not. This disregard of documents is hypocritical of America. They complained about their treaties with other countries not being paid attention to, but disregarded another document that held thousands of people’s futures in the balance. How do you think America would feel if other nations disregarded the Constitution? They would be upset, just like the Native Americans were, and the tribes were right. The tribes were supposed to have a happy ending, but the disregard of what seemed like another piece of paper to America ended any chance of that for them. That is why the Indian Removal Act was bad for America - it led us to not follow the

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