Andrew Jackson Trail Of Tears Research Paper

Among the most shameful acts of American policy was forcing the Native American Indians on a “Trail of Tears.” From 1831 to 1850, under President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act, more than forty tribes were forced on a Trail of Tears, most notably the five civilized tribes of the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw, and Chickasaw. The tribes, with small amounts of support from missionaries and the judicial branch, attempted to thwart Jackson’s plans for removal. However, Jackson, with the majority support of Southern citizens and both state and federal government was able to maneuver around his oppositions and wield and expand his power, in order to ultimately achieve his goal of Indian removal. Jackson and his allies were able to execute the removal of Indian tribes by making …show more content…
As Americans looked for new land to grow their various crops, Indians came to be seen as an obstacle. While many solutions were offered, the consensus among the Southern states and the Jackson administration was to remove the Indians from their lands in the south and to resettle them in lands west of the Mississippi River. At the beginning of the 1830s, around 125,000 Indians lived on millions of acres of land in states such as Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. By 1837, nearly 50,000 Indians had been removed, and by the 1850’s, little to no Indians remained in Southeast America. Squabbles over the land ensued for years leading up to the 1830’s with treaties being signed and wars taking place. State governments also attempted to drive Indians out of the South. Several states passed laws limiting Indian sovereignty and rights. By 1830, Georgia, along with other southern states, had threatened to extend its state laws onto the Indians living there. This ultimately led to the Cherokee’s legal battles with Georgia and also pressured Jackson to sign the Indian Removal Act at the beginning of his

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