Did President Jackson Despise The Native Indians?

Jinyu Zhang Dr. Lisa Susner HISTORY 2001 April 14, 2018 Did President Jackson Despise the Native Indians? The Indian removal act was inspired by Andrew Jackson and entailed permitting white settlers to inhabit the southwestern regions of North America. In the letter written by Andrew Jackson to the Congress, the president insisted that other tribes agree to be relocated from their ancestral lands and Americans to settle in their lands instead. White Americans regarded the native tribes to be uncivilized, therefore they did not want to interact with them. But since they needed to expand due to growing populations, the white Americans opted to relocate the native tribes and build civilized settlements along these areas. In the letter, the president’s describes these native tribes as savage hunters and this description portrays the amount of discrimination that Jackson had for the natives and although the letter stated that the relocation would benefit the Indians, it was clear that the Americans would benefit more from the lands (Jackson, 1830). Although some of the five Indian tribes agreed to sign the treaty, other tribes felt too attached to their land and refused to be evicted. Jackson’s letter stated that the Indians needed to be resettled in lands where they could not be affected by the civilization since they were used to their savage ways and did not want to be governed by American laws. White settlers had envied the land inhabited by the Indians for several years, but earlier treaties signed by the Indians and Americans restricted them from forcefully occupying the tribal land. Since the beginning of his career, Andrew Jackson had always despised the native tribes. From leading the war in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend to signing the Indian Removal Act, these and other events are proof of how much Andrew Jackson despised the Indians. Several events that occurred before and after the signing of the Act portray a Jackson’s attitude towards the Indians. Andrew Jackson managed to kill and relocate a large number of Indians throughout his political and military career. In the letter to the Congress, Jackson describes the Indians as savages who have no value for civilization or liberty and that it would be best for them to be separated from the modern society (Jackson, 1830). However, earlier treaties with the Americans encouraged trade between the natives and the Americans. The Natives agreed to the conditions stated in the treaty by accepting to be governed by one sovereign state and conduct trade with the Americans as a means of improving their livelihoods. According to the treaty of November 1785 signed by the Cherokee nation and the United States Congress, the native tribe agreed to the laws of the United States and to trade peacefully with Americans (Cherokee and Shawanoe Treaty, 1785). The acceptance of this treaty opposes the claims by Andrew Jackson regarding their refusal to uphold civilization and liberty and therefore proves his hatred towards the natives. Secondly, the battle of the horseshoe bend in 1814, which was led by Andrew Jackson led to the death of more than 800 Creek Indians and as a result of the defeat, the Creek tribe was forced to sign the treaty of Fort Jackson. As a representative of the United States, Jackson dictated the harsh terms of the treaty. According to the treaty, the Creek nation was required to give up approximately 22 million acres of land to the United States as compensation for the expense of an ‘unprovoked, inhuman and sanguinary’ war (Fort Jackson Treaty, 1814). The treaty also gave the United States the rights to freely navigate along all rivers and establish military posts and houses across all regions within the Creek Nation. It can be said that Andrew Jackson’s motives were to discourage the Creek nation from occupying the land and instead resettle in other areas. The large share of the 22 million acres of land ceded by the Creek comprised of the western part of the Coosa River, which eased up transportation between the gulf coast and Tennessee. Andrew’s decision to include the 22 millio...