Andrew Jackson Facts

Most Americans have at least some vague image of the Trail of Tears, but not very many know of the events that led to that tragic removal of several thousand Indians from their homeland. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government, and Indians had to agree to removal to preserve their identity as tribes. Trail of Tears is an excellent snapshot of a particular situation and will be eye opening to those who are not familiar with the story of the southern tribes and their interactions with the burgeoning American population. The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that signifies the callousness of American policy makers toward American Indians in 1839 and 1839.

Another cause for poor relations between Native Americans and European Settlers was the constant push for acquiring new land by the Colonists. The Native Americans did not just want to give up their land and this resulted in war between the Indians and the Colonists. During this time Native Americans were sold into slavery belittled and removed from their land, due to the fact that the Colonists had more advanced technology and weapons. One of the major wars was the French and Indian War which resulted in the removal of Native Americans from their land and many casualties on both sides. Over time many battles were fought over land, even after America was an established country with presidents, laws, and court systems. Native Americans were continually pushed out of their land for hundreds of years while they were forced to move west. The constant push of Native Americans out of their land would cause an event known as the Trail of Tears where thousands of Indians were removed from their land by the Indian Removal Act. “In 1830 the Congress of the United States passed the "Indian Removal Act." Although many Americans were against the act, most notably Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett, it passed anyway. President Jackson quickly signed the bill into law. The Cherokees attempted to fight removal legally by challenging the removal laws in the Supreme Court and by establishing an

The “Trail of Tears,” was an unmitigated disaster-at least for the Native American Tribes involved. – (Page 269) “As the population grew, white citizens demanded that their governments, at both the state and national levels, do something about the Native American tribes in their midst who held claims to land …” – (Page 249) “The United States had recognized the Cherokee as a nation in a number of treaties, and in 1827 delegates of this tribe initiated action to draft a constitution that would more formally recognize this status.” – (Page 249). This caused a problem with the constitution, because new states could not be established in pre-existing state. “Georgia, where most of the Cherokee lived, opposed the plan and called for the removal of all Native American.” – (Page 249). In fact, the Cherokee nation fought back. “The case reached the United States Supreme Court, Cherokee Nation v. Georgia.” – (Page 250). The Cherokee lost; but a year later Chief Justice John Marshall “ruled that the state had no right to extend sovereignty over the Cherokee within its borders.” Andrew Jackson disagreed with the chief justice, and wanted for the chief justice to enforce his decision.

In the early 1830s, approximately 125,000 Native Americans thrived on millions of acres of land in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and Alabama. In the next 10 years, a scarce number of natives lingered anyplace in the Southeastern United States. In 1838 and 1839, the Cherokee nation was brutally forced to give up its rightful land and travel on foot to designated “Indian Territory” in modern-day Oklahoma. Upon this involuntary journey, thousands of Indians faced exhaustion, disease, and famine. This heartbreaking event became known as the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears is important to the history of the United States because it is the wickedest human civil rights tragedy to ever fall upon the Native American population, and it was the beginning of the destruction of an entire people.

Before the Eastern World knew that the America’s were there, natives to the American lands were already here and thriving. As the land was discovered, more and more people from the European side of the Hemisphere traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to stake a claim for land in this newfound world. Throughout these Europeans settling in, and making new homes and lives for themselves these natives stayed to their own ways, and were slowly pushed westward. The problems between the Indians and now Americans were brought to the forefront as the population of the states grew, and there was a need for expansion. When the Louisiana Purchase was struck between the United States and France, the land previously inhabited by the natives were now under the control of the United States government. As the population continued to climb in numbers, individuals along with the United States government decided to take actions for the removal of these natives. Throughout the book, The Long, Bitter Trail, Andrew Jackson and the Indians by: Anthony F.C. Wallace, the events leading up to, during, and the effects of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Individuals such as Andrew Jackson along with the government used different methods to remove these Indians from the southeastern lands of the United States. Starting in the beginning of the 1800’s,

President Andrew Jackson urged the Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The Indian Removal Act was also known as The Trail of Tears. This act gave the government the power to force Native Americans to relocate from their homes and properties to west of the Mississippi River. The government desired their land. “Georgia tried to reclaim this land in 1830, but the Cherokee protested and took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court decided in favor of the Cherokee, however, the President and Congress forced the Native Americans to give up their land” (Darrenkamp). Therefore, President Jackson sent General Winfield Scott and armed troops that forced thousands of Indians to move from their native land to modern day, Oklahoma.

With the Indian Removal Act passing through both houses of Congress, Jackson was free to begin his so-called negotiations. The Choctaws were the first to sign a treaty with the United States government. They were allowed to stay on a small area of their land, but they were given little protection. Their land was mercilessly stolen from them by nearby white settlers, and the government turned its eye while it happened. Sadly, the group had no other option but to give up their land and move west (PBS.org).

Having little knowledge of the Cherokee removal and the history that took place in this moment in America’s past, the book Trail of Tears: Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation by John Ehle, offers an insight to the politics, social dynamics and class struggles the Cherokee Nation faced in the late 1830s. The book was very comprehensive and the scope of the book covers nearly 100 years of Native American History. Ehle captures the history of the Native American people by showing the readers what led to the events infamously known as the Trail of Tears. The author uses real military orders, journals, and letters which aid in creating a book that keeps

The call for the removal of the Cherokees to the “Great American Desert” across the Mississippi River echoed stronger than in previous years.[1] In October of 1828 in present day Dahlonega, Georgia, active gold mines were discovered near Cherokee land. For many whites, the time to completely remove the Cherokees from the lands came. The newly elected President Andrew Jackson agreed to do so with his signature on the Indian Removal Act. Jackson lived in the backcountry of North and South Carolina for quite a bit of his youth as well as the territory of Tennessee. This paper is focusing on the rise of Andrew Jackson as a war hero to presidency and his Indian policy that led to the heart-wrenching expulsion of the Cherokee Indians in the

In reading Alfred A. Caves’ article, it says that Jackson violated treaties that the U.S. had with the Indians in order to remove them from their land. It says that the government “misunderstood and often times misrepresent the provisions of the law” . Many times the treaties with the Indians were not seen as actual agreement that the government didn’t have to follow and abide by what was said in the agreement. When the Indian Removal Act came along in 1830, the act made things even more complicated. One of the

Andrew Jackson discusses that the obligation to help the ‘savage’ Native Americans to become civilized and to settle them in the West. But “we have at the same time lost no opportunity to purchase their lands and thrust them farther into the wilderness.” President Jackson says that these people should be in accordance with the laws of Georgia and Alabama, or they should be forced to leave. This is very strange thinking, because the land was not originally the Americans, but the Native Americans. President Jackson wants the people who have lived on the lands for centuries to comply with the immigrant’s wishes. Jackson proposed the idea of treaties with the Native tribes to move them westward. After some of the tribes willingly agreed to those treaties and were paid, Jackson suggested for the white people to push on even further to the west. He says that it is the duty of the Government to “to extinguish as soon as possible the Indian title to all lands which Congress themselves have included within their limits.” President Jackson saw the Indians as a nuisance that blocked the expansion into the West. He also saw

Andrew Jackson is perceived as one of the most influential figures in U.S history and may as well be renowned for the controversy he has laid through his impacts during his presidency. Despite the continuous dispute of how we should perceive this figure, it is undeniable that he has left a permanent imprint upon American politics, and that his support of individual liberty and his appearance as a hero of the people had captured the trust of many American citizens. His elements of a hero does not halter there, as he continues to influence America politically, economically and territorially throughout numerous events in U.S history.

Most Americans have at least some vague understanding of the Trail of Tears, but not many know about the events that led to that tragic removal of thousands of Indians from their homeland. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government. The Indians had to agree to removal to maintain their tribe identities. Trail of Tears is an excellent example of a particular situation and will be eye opening to those who are not familiar with the story of the southern tribes and their interactions with the rapidly growing American population. The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that indicates the callousness, insensitivity, and cruelty of American government toward American Indians in 1839 and 1839.

Some Americans accused President Andrew Jackson him of using absolute control to redistribute wealth after his veto of the National Bank. Others saw the act as an act of patriotism defending the state from a corrupt system that only favoured the rich . However, after the devastation of colonial taxation, taxation by the government not only became a sore spot for many Americans but also a lesson to monitor the actions of the government. Andrew Jackson was an accomplished and educated man he was a lawyer, general, and slaveholder making him a knowledgeable man of the rule of law and the devastations of war when it is not upheld. This bank was designed to stabilize the American economy, but also have a hefty profit for

Struggling through life’s difficulties, Andrew Jackson was an extraordinary leader that was able to overcome his struggles and inspire many people. Many historians and laymen look down upon President Jackson for his role in the Trail of Tears, yet many overlook the incredible leadership skills he had. The first leadership skill he was the ability to maintain order of his men. The next important leadership skill he had was.