Trail Of Tears Essay

Words: 597
Pages: 3

America as we know it was built on hard work, the aspiration for a better life as well as a fair share of controversial events. Few moments were more controversial than the actions taken by President Andrew Jackson against the Native American people during the early 19th century. During Jackson’s presidency, the United States government found they had the justifiable means to relocate the Native Americans to their own portion of the country. Between the rapid expansion of settlers and their growing tension with the native people, decisions were made for the better of country which became known as the “Trail of Tears”.
In the early part of the 19th century, a rift was developing between the people of the colonial states and the native population
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“Perhaps the most important Jacksonian policy that encouraged growth and prosperity for the electorate was his push for an increase in the amount of land available for cultivation in a country in which 71 percent of the labor force worked in agriculture (Carter et al. 2006, 2:110).” As much as that promise may have put Jackson in debt with those who helped fund his campaign, it is safe to say that he would not have won the presidential race without them. When the time came that colonists sought to expand their land into the Native American territories, Jackson didn’t have the ability to deny the colonist thirst for more land. This led to Jackson enacting the Indian removal act, which he claimed, would be better for the Native American’s than alternatively being killed by land hungry colonists.
With America’s eyes westward, it was inevitable the Native Americans would be regarded as an issue toward America’s expansion plans. After being given a chance to assimilate with the colonists and fulfill their end of the bargain, they would face the same issues once again. Although the natives had created an established language and court system, they were still seen as uncivilized savages in the eyes of the American people. The plight of the Native Americans was never heard during the Indian Removal Act and forcibly shaped the United