Removal of the Indians from Mississippi (Term Paper Sample)

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Indian Removal
At the behest of President Andrew Jackson in 1830, Congress passed a bill authorizing the removal of Indians across the Mississippi. This followed intensified opposition to federal security for the independent Indian nations found in Georgia and other states. However, prior to this, Indian tribes had been recognized as distinct nations of people free to reign over their tribal land that they could only relinquish through treaties. Towards this end, several treaties were mad in good intentions between the United States federal state and the Indian tribes. This paper analyzes the events that led to the removal of the Indians across the Mississippi, as well as the federal policy that initiated this move and its effects on the Indians.
From the instant the first colonies settled in America, association between the white settlers and Native American Indians ranged from respect to hate. In the 1800s, Americans involved in competition with the indigenous peoples for land and resources perceived them as barbaric and uncivilized (Brinkley 2). However, a large section of Americans valued the Indians and admired their contribution to the nation’s history and culture. This group of Americans hoped that as time progressed, the Indians could be serenely assimilated into their own society, which is among the reasons that their removal was delayed. Even prior to the Revolution, religious organizations and churches had sent missionaries to the Indians to attempt to convert them (Leahy and Wilson 79). For instance, the Society for Propagating the Gospel was established in 1787 for this purpose. The federal government also joined this quest "civilize" Indians in 1793 when Congress allocated $20,000 to offer farming, vocational assistance, and literacy programs to Native Americans.
By 1830, a large proportion of the regions east of the Mississippi had become states. Jackson, the Democratic Party’s leader, was committed to economic progress of these new states, as well as the settlement and equal development of the western frontier (Leahy and Wilson 78). It was such goals that heralded conflict between the federal government and the Native Americans numbering around 125,000 who still occupied regions east of the Mississippi. Around this time, many Indians had abandoned nomadic hunting and resorted to a more settled form of life. More specifically, the Chickasaws, Seminoles, Choctaws, and Creeks tried to live harmoniously with the white settlers. The underlying conflict was the land that the Indians held under legal treaties. The white pioneers were frustrated because of the lack of opportunity to access settled areas, and they agitated for new lands to purchase farms, as well as the right to collect revenues from Indian-held lands.
The Cherokees’ political action- establishing their own governance system known as the Cherokee National Council in 1808- coincided with intensifying pressure to open up the land to white settlement and economic development. At this point, the Cherokee land was craved because of its agricultural potential when the white population was increasing and farmland demand was soaring (Leahy and Wilson 82). Additionally, gold was discovered in this area and most whites could not wait to mine it. In light of this mounting pressure, which threatened to turn violent, Jackson resolved to move the Native Americans across the Mississippi. He felt this decision was the best quest for peace and safeguarding of Indians from the prospect of being destroyed and scattering. He also felt that if the white settlers accessed the land, economic progress would be witnessed. However, he insisted that they receive a fair reimbursement for their lands and that his government settles expenses of their removal. Towards this end, the Indian Removal Act was appended in 1830, compelling the Indians to move across the Mississippi.
The federal policy also established the Indian Territory, a parcel of land to resettle the Indians. The effect was that most Indians resisted, often carrying out violent resistances or legal measures that proceeded all the way to the highest court- Supreme Court. The Cherokees tried to sue to block their relocation (Brinkley 46). In spite of the court ruling in their favor, the federal government deployed troops to forcibly evict them. They left in what became popularly described as the "trail of Tears" (Wilentz 70). Other tribes, the Seminoles (Florida) and t...