How Did Andrew Jackson Affect America

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Andrew Jackson; considerably one of the greatest influential leaders in American history. However, similar to the very country he helped form, Jackson’s life was full of contradiction. One of Jackson’s earliest biographers referred to him as a “ democratic autocrat” and an “atrocious saint” ("Legend | Andrew Jackson's Effect on America." The Hermitage ). Even today, while we know the abundance of feats Jackson accomplished, his lifestyle is still observed under a microscope. This paper will aid in shedding light on, what is considered his most debatable decision, the Indian Removal Act.
Beginning of Indian Removal Policy
Indian Removal was a U.S. government policy which surged in the early 1800’s. By this time, many of the Natives tribes of the Northeast have already been annexed, destroyed or broken up. However, there still remained thousands of Natives in the South, particularly, in the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Of these remaining Native tribes, were the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek, and
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As a result, the Indian Removal Policy would get extra boost. Due to the whites desire for the land and a recent discovery of gold in Georgia ("A Brief History of the Trail of Tears."), President Jackson made it his goal to free the land occupied by the Natives. The first major legislation Andrew Jackson signed was the Indian Removal Act. He signed it into law on May 26, 1830, and it was passed by Congress just two days later. It wasn’t the most popular act, passing the Senate by a measly nine votes, and it passed the House by an even smaller five votes ("Indian Removal Act, 1830”). The act states that President Jackson has the authorization to negotiate treaties with Native Americans for their removal. However, these treaties were more forced upon the Natives rather than negotiated with them. Ultimately, this forced thousands of Natives to vacate their