Indian Relocation Act

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In the chronicles of American history, no transgression to a single people has been as unjust or impactful as the forced relocation of the Five Civilized Tribes of American Indians from their ancestral homes in the southern part of the United States to the area that is now Oklahoma. Signed into law on May 28th, 1830, the Indian Relocation Act secured America’s claim on the lands that are now the states of Alabama and Mississippi, while also permanently altering the way of life for the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole tribes. To truly understand the purpose behind the Indian Relocation Act, it is first important to understand what fueled America’s hunger for land. Cotton had been America’s leading export since 1803, and was…show more content…
The first individual is the esteemed Andrew Jackson, first U.S. representative of Tennessee, senator, judge of the Tennessee Superior Court, contributor to the constitution of Tennessee, leader of the Democratic Party, and most importantly, the seventh president of the United States. Besides leading a successful political career, Jackson also led an incredibly successful military career, winning decisive victories as a major general at the Battle of New Orleans, and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the former bringing an end to the War of 1812. For these victories Jackson was declared a war hero, which later led to the suggestion that he run for president and, after losing the 1824 election to John Quincy Adams, Jackson won his presidency in 1828. Shortly after, in the winter of ’28, his wife Rachel Jackson would pass away, leaving her role of First Lady to be filled by her niece, Emily Donelson, and was later replaced by Jackson’s niece-in-law, Sarah Yorke Jackson in 1836 and served as the White House hostess for the remainder of his second term. Andrew Jackson and the rest Democratic Party made great political strides, including the arguably successful application of Jacksonian Democracy, which strove to help bring equality to the common folk. Among the multiple achievements Jackson accomplished as president were completely paying off the nation’s…show more content…
Andrew Jackson played a vital role in arbitrated land agreements with the Native Americans, successfully negotiating nine treaties in the years between 1814 and 1824. Most attempts to acquire Indian land were either done through subtle trade depts., leading the Indians to pay said debts off with pieces of their land, or willingly, through the belief that ceding a bits of their land, they could ensure their hold on others. In retaliation to these early attempts at land acquisition, many Indian tribes simply assimilated into the culture, setting up farms and even adopting the practice of slavery. The Cherokee, in an attempt to protect their rights, even created their own written constitution in 1827, claiming themselves as a separate nation from the United States. Only two tribes, the Seminole and Creek, fought back violently, leading to the short lived Seminole War (the first of three Seminole Wars to be fought throughout the 1800s) and, of course, the Battle of Horseshoe Bend being the closing chapter in the Creek War, a conflict taking place alongside and in the War of 1812. Both attempts at rebellion proved unsuccessful (coincidently Andrew Jackson ended both conflicts), only giving

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