In Chief Tecumseh’s speech, he describes the tyranny and conflict between the united states government and the native peoples. He explains that the natives should not sell their lands, for they have no right to do so because the land belongs to all people and not one group. Tecumseh shows this when he writes, “Sell a country?! Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the earth” (L. 30). The air, the sea, and the earth are priceless in the eyes of many, he parallels these three with the selling of a country to demonstrate how the natives value their land.
While the supporters of Thomas Jefferson believe that buying foreign land was necessary, those who are against him feel that what he did was unconstitutional. In the source, “Thomas Jefferson to John Breckinridge, 12 August 1803”, the text explains that what Jefferson did was allowed, as it had not mentioned that he couldn’t in the constitution. This controversy is huge, because some people believe that he did not have the right to do so. Jefferson made a point that it wasn’t mentioned in the constitution, so he decided to ratify it and pay for it. Some believe congress did not have the right to authorize this decision.
The Indians believed that since they were a part of the United States they should be entitled to protection under its laws, but since this was not working they were left with another choice, and decided to take action against the Indian Removal Act and Georgia. Being very cultured and knowledgeable in the ways of the white man and their laws they decided to use Georgia’s strategy of law against in a “fight fire with fire” sort of sense to join the Cherokee Nation in suing the state of Georgia in a case that would eventually go all the way to the Supreme Court. The Indians had also decided to insult to injury by hiring the former attorney general under Adams and Monroe, William Wirt. Jackson had showed his disdain of this action by commenting “The course of Wirt has truly been wicked” (Remini 242). This comment also shows the betrayal Jackson felt knowing that a fellow American was hindering the inevitable expansion of the United States and removal of the Indians.
Throughout the early 19th century, changing politics and an evolving society in America impacted all classes of people, specifically the white working class. Jacksonian Democratic ideals was influenced by the working class, and the white working class benefited from President Jackson’s decisions. During the year of Jackson’s presidential election, the Workies, which consisted of working men, wanted to protect individuals who earned money from arduous labor, but failed to make payments punctually. Jacksonian Democrats realized the Workies language was valuable in the fact that beliefs of the Workies group echoed through Jackson’s party.
The Indian Removal Act authorized Jackson to give the Indians land west of the Mississippi in exchange for their land in the states, but could not force them to leave. He violated and broke commitments that he even negotiated with them. He tried to bribe the Indians and even threatened some of them. Alfred Cave organizes his article thematically and is trying to prove
Robert Remini’s Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars is a book that makes you question Jackson's character. Remini addresses the long-standing debate of historians and scholars over whether or not Jackson was barbaric or whether he was a merciful savior that prevented the Native Americans from going extinct. Remini instead argues the opinion that Jackson was simply a man of his time. Despite this, Remini does show Jackson's inexcusable cruelty towards the Native Americans. He learned to fear and hate Indians from an early age.
The Long, Bitter Trail: Andrew Jackson and the Indians written by Anthony F.C. Wallace is the story of the Native Americans being forced to move west in America in the 19th century. Wallace begins by introducing the desire for Native American land in the U.S. and ends with the aftermath of the Removal Policy and the legacy that still lives today. The book is organized into four chapters; The Changing Worlds of the Native Americans, The Conflict over Federal Indian Policy, The Removal Act, and The Trail of Tears.
Across Many Mountains is memoir of the journey and struggles of three generations of Tibetan women during the Cold War era. The author, Yangzom Brauen, is the granddaughter of the three women and tells the story of the family through the accounts of her mother and grandmother and her own experience. Despite the title, the family not only journeys over mountains, but also travels half the world in pursuit of a better life and spiritually security. The book starts off with the childhood of the grandmother, Kunsang, and her early spiritual life nurtured by her parents.
He believed Jackson needed a reality check. The Indians were there first, it was their land. He force the Natives to move away from their homeland, with brute force. He believes Jackson could not justify his actions just because it was for America’s benefit. He also stated Jackson refused to listen to many people, and he refused to let Indians live.
Andrew Jackson’s sentiment towards the Native Americans was certainly not a kind one. Manifest destiny was a popular belief among Americans, including Jackson, and he would go to the extent of forcing Native Americans out of their homes to reach their “ordained goal”. He believed in the expansion of southern slavery which is why he pushed for removing the Indians west of the Mississippi, which makes it the more disgraceful. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 said that it will allow American government to offer in-state territories to the Indian’s for their western land. This wasn’t the case when the U.S. went in and drove the Indians out by force.
It is a quote from Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”. His point of view is very clear on the fact that once a person gives up their liberty for comfort and security to a government the whole thing needs to be revised. One shouldn’t trade anything to the government in exchange for anything. In this type of system , citizens “ leave their dependence for a moment to indicate their master, and then reenter it” meaning that it is a vicious circle, even though civilians think they are being given a choice, it doesn’t really turn out to be a choice in the end because compromises have to be made (Festenstein Kenny P 77).
In his speech, Jackson states, ““It gives me great pleasure to announce to congress that the government's benevolent policy of Indian Removal has almost been achieved.” This shows that he was pushing for the Indian Removal Act to process. A Soilder’s Account is a primary source that helps shape the reader's understanding of the topic by showing how the U.S soilders viewed the Native Americans circumstances. One soilder in particular wrote his recollection in his journal. In it, he stated, ...waved their little hands goodbye to their mountain homes, knowing they were leaving them forever.
In the book, The Cherokee Removal, Perdue and Green argue that the Cherokee Nation was treated unfairly by the U.S. Government in the 1800s. The majority of Americans were not fond of the Native Americans, and the Americans felt as if the Native Americans were on their rightfully owned property. Perdue and Green display how the states were trying to remove the Natives when they write, “A state could use its legal institutions to make life for Indians so miserable that they would gladly sell their lands and flee to the West” (Perdue and Green, 73).
The government tried to force assimilation on Native Americans as well as an attempt to “kill the indian, save the man.” These ideas and policies are similar to those popular during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Jackson developed a sense of ‘paternalism’ towards indians and believed he was saving them by forcing them to live out west of the Mississippi river away from white culture. The difference was that Jackson did not believe in assimilation of indians into white culture, he believed they should be kept separate. With the help of the Federal government removing indians from land west of the Mississippi, Americans were
Mountains Beyond Mountain by Tracy Kidder examines Dr. Paul Farmer’s journey in helping populations from infectious diseases in Haiti, Peru, and Russia. It tracks the life of a Harvard medical school graduate whose goal is to cure the world from infectious diseases. Kidder joins Paul Farmer, also known as Dokté Paul on his journeys to there various countries. He comments on his medical decisions as well as treatment on impoverished communities containing countless infectious diseases. Kidder examines Farmer’s character as well as learns from his values and beliefs.
