Dbq Indian Removal Act

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The Indian Removal Act was passed by congress on May 28, 1830, during the term of President Andrew Jackson. This law allowed the president to negotiate with Indian tribes in the Southern United States for their removal to federal territory west of the Mississippi River in exchange for their ancestral home grounds. This may mark the beginning of the Indian removal for the United States government, but to the Indians it all started when the Europeans first landed in their territory. Beginning with the Washington era in the 1790’s, the United States tried to administrate the Indians with civilization and adaptation. Jefferson’s policy wanted to respect the Native Americans rights to their homeland, allowing them all a chance to adapt to …show more content…

These tribes even took action as to try to adapt to Anglo-American ways, and try to settle in permanent towns, build churches and schools, and even make investments in farm animals and equipment. The Cherokees did adapt and make such changes and were gradually changing their lifestyles to that of their white neighbors. Many thought that since the Indians had made so much progress toward civilization, how could the government advise the Indians to move west into a country that is unknown to them. This would make many wonder and question themselves if removal was good or not, “Removal would only throw them back into their original state of barbarism” (Banner …show more content…

The long journey took a rough toll on the Native Americans as they faced sickness and disease, extreme cold weather, and starvation form the lack of food and even facing death along the way. This Removal had been based on belief that the West was big enough to provide the Indians a sanctuary from settlers for hundreds of years, but that belief turned out to be wrong. Soon whites would find themselves crossing the Mississippi River in large numbers, and it would become clear that the removal of the 1830’s would provide no more permanent solutions to the conflicts between the settlers and the Indians than the removals of the preceding two centuries. The Indians problems was not gone, it had only created the same problem out west. But now there will be no place left to push the

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