Essay On Indian Removal Act

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Pages: 4

“Lying and stealing are next door neighbors.” This Arabian proverb have been famous as it speaks truth. In the early 1800s Americans began to push Native American tribes from their homes; they promised to relocate the tribes in exchange for money and land in order for them to expand their territory. This is the beginning of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. “President Andrew Jackson arrogantly defied the decision of the court and ordered the removal, an act that established the U.S. government’s precedent for the future removal of many Native Americans from their ancestral homelands.” (“A Brief History of the Trail of Tears”) The Indian Removal Act isn’t justified because the Cherokees owned the land, disagreed with their leader, and a civilized nation. The first reason why the Indian Removal Act is not justified is the fact that the Cherokees owned the land before the Americans arrived; their tribe has lived on the land for hundred of years. “White people in Georgia and other southern states that abutted the Cherokee Nation refused to accept the Cherokee people as social equals and urged their political representatives to seize the Cherokees' land.” (Garrison, “Cherokee Removal”) This shows that Americans mistreated the Cherokees but still forced the leaders of the Cherokees to give them their land. “The Cherokee …show more content…
In summary, The Indian Removal Act of 1830 wasn’t justified since they lived in the land for a hundred years as civilized people who has their own constitution and community before the Americans arrived and forced them to leave using the power of an illegitimate treaty that was signed by only one of their leaders. The Cherokees were the victims of powerful and cruel Americans who thought they hold power over everyone they come across