Andrew Jackson's History: Indian Removal Of The Indians

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Howard Zinn wrote about Andrew Jackson in his seventh chapter of History is a Weapon. Indian removal is a topic famously attributed to Jackson during his presidency. His attempts to remove the Indians further west and locate white settlements there instead showed his true feelings about Indians. His hatred for Indians and the yearning for more land helped him relocate the them numerous times throughout his presidency. When Jackson came into office, on of his duties involved Indians. Jackson was known as being “a land speculator, merchant, slave trader, and the most aggressive enemy of the Indians in early American history.” He even became a war hero in the War of 1812 against Britain and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend against the Creeks. He was well respected among Americans and was a fighter. His incredible resume featured numerous raids of Indian lands and treaties …show more content…
The treaties signed by the Creeks led him to Florida, which was still Spain's territory. The Indian tribe there at the time, the Seminole Indians, were persuaded by Britain to resist Americans. Jackson did not like that. So, as a result of Indian attacking settlers who ended up in Florida, Jackson demanded the villages responsible destroyed. He overtook Florida and became the governor. Furthermore, slavery played a part in Jackson’s raid in Florida. In Seminole tribes and villages, there was an abundance of escaped black slaves.The way the Seminole people treated the slaves, which was like African slavery, was better than most. They “often lived in their own villages, their children often became free, there was much intermarriage between Indians and blacks…” When Jackson found out about the slaves, he began raids in Florida. His reasoning was that Florida was a sanctuary for slaves who had escaped and Indians as well. A war then erupted that was called the Seminole War of