Indian Removal Act Essay

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Throughout the history of the United States we have seen a huge clash of cultures between the European settlers and the Indians. It is obvious that the Indian people were stripped of everything they had, and forced to leave the land they cherished and lived on. One of the most important times to recall regarding this clash is the day of May 28, 1830, the day the Indian Removal Act was passed. This one law that was passed effectively allowed congress, and the president of the United States (Andrew Jackson) to begin negotiations for Indian land in the southern part of the county, in an effort to start moving the Indian people westward. The desire for land was the primary reason for Indian removal, and in the early 1600’s English settlers established colonies at Jamestown, Plymouth, and other locations. They eventually fought with local Indian populations over the presence and extension of those settlements. (Bowes, 7). What followed the Indian Removal Act was the creation and ratification of the Treaty of New Echota. This newly ratified treaty now allowed our government forgo negotiations, and forcefully remove the Indians from their land for it had been ceded. The trail of tears, a harsh, unhealthy, and forced relocation to the western part of the country is what followed this treaty. This time in history was a time known as “ethnic cleansing”. An analysis of this time period shows that the Indian Removal act was the beginning of Indian relocation and president Jackson’s abuse of power, the Treaty of New Ecotah can be seen as a cause and effect which solidified the acceptance of forceful removal of Indians, and the Trail of Tears can be seen as the assurance of how the “New America” felt about Indians.
In 1830 a landmark statut...

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... as the beginning of removal.
Very quickly it became obvious that the Cherokee and other Indians were not welcome anymore, and if they fought they would be killed. The country they had been battling with began winning the war, and there was little to do but leave their cherished land. It was now an obvious sign to these people that they were going to be forcefully relocated to new lands, and the treaty that had been signed gave our government full power to do so without any questions. Congress, President Jackson, and the people coexisting with the Indians began showing their true colors, their true thoughts, and their true feelings. They forced the Indians to leave on a deathly journey of starvation, sickness, and depression. Between June 1838 and March 1839, about 16,000 Cherokees left their eastern homes to go to new homes west of the Mississippi (Bowes, 68).

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