Introduction
Andrew Jackson became the president in 1828 through an election. He had the idea of putting up a relatively small and limited structure government. With this agenda at hand, he also had a vision of raising the executive powers for the president. Perpetuated by his vision Andrew made two accomplishments that made him well known among the American citizens. One of the achievements was his objection of the national bank claiming excessive foreign influence in national issues of the United States. It was out of his ideology that turned into the compulsory migration of the Indians to the west of the Mississippi River. This resulted into what is referred to as the “the Trail of Tears.” The Trail of Tears led to a lot of suffering as well as loss for a number of Native Americans. President Andrew is recollected less lovingly for this controversial forced migration of the Indians to the west (Sayre 121).
While still serving as the president, in the year 1830 President Andrew faced several frontiersmen who had participated in the Indian wars advocating for the entire extermination of the inherent tribes. Andrew was known for his past execution of the Indians movement to west of the U.S. While campaigning for the presidency he promised in his agenda to have the Indians removal (Langguth 83). A discussion was held between the United States Supreme court and the state of Georgia over the issue of the gold on Cherokee lands. The discussion ended unsuccessfully prompting president Andrew to come up with the removal of the treaty which had previously been imposed by his successor, Martin Van Buren. This led to the forced migration of the Indians to the wets of the Mississippi River.
The history of the Trail of tears began back in the year in 1813; one year after President Andrew was elected the president. In the stated year he ordered the militia to destroy the Creek Indians. The British had earlier involved the Creeks as well as inherent Americans into assisting them threaten the Southern frontier at the time of the 1812 war (Sayre 107). Andrew pursed the fight against the Creek Indians because they had previously killed several frontier settlers at the Fort Mims on the shoreline of Lake Tensaw in Alabama which at the time was under the territory of Mississippi. The creek Indians were putting up effort to rescue and have back the land that had been confiscated from them by the white settlers. Andrew’s attack on the creeks resulted into the death of over 800 creeks as well as the capturing of a total of up to 500 women and children on March 1814 (Langguth 85). This took place at the battle of Tohopeka which is also called the Horseshoe Bend in Alabama.
The events of Andrew’s attack on the Creeks made the course of action successful earning him popularity. The Creek Indians halted their threats on the Frontier. On August 9 of the same year, the Treaty of Fort Jackson was put on paper causing the shutdown of the Creek War (Sayre 130). The treaty also saw the creeks give up twenty three million acres of their land. Following Jackson Andrew’s move more numbers of American Natives were evicted from their lands after the whites demanded their lands. The Indian removal act was established in 1830 through Jackson’s initiation and encouragement of such eviction. The act basically stated that that Native Americans surrender their lands and relocate into the west of the Mississippi River (Langguth 167).
More and more tribes obeyed the Act while some refuted it. The Cherokee Indians tribe was among those that opposed the removal act. The Cherokee Indians went to court to challenge the state of Georgia from trying to confiscate away their land. In 1832, the supreme court of Georgia made a ruling the declared the state of Georgia’s lack of authority over the Cherokee lands. The state of Georgia disobeyed the ruling by the Supreme Court and carried on their activity of taking away land from the Indians. President Jackson Andrew did not react to the state of Georgia’s disobedience for the rule of the Supreme Court. The denial of the Native Americans’ legal rights of land made the president to suffer a lot while at office (Langguth 102). Even after the end of his tenure in office, Andrew’s policies were still in force. The army evicted 16000 Cherokees who had not moved out of their homes to the west. During the roundup out of 1600 thousand Cherokees, 4000 of them died. This led into what was named “Trail of Tears” which occurred between 1838 and 1839.
Conclusion
President Andrew is recollected less lovingly for this controversial forced migration of the Indians to the west. Andrew pursed the fight against the Creek Indians because they had previously killed several frontier settlers at the Fort Mims on the shoreline of Lake Tensaw in Alabama which at the time was under the territory of Mississippi. He also signed a treaty that saw the creeks give up twenty three million acres of their land. His move caused the eviction of more numbers of American Natives from their lands. Then the removal act was established in 1830 through Jackson’s initiation and encouragement. The act basically stated that that Native Americans surrender their lands and relocate into the west of the Mississippi River. A ruling by the Supreme Court in Georgia was not implemented by the state while the Jackson Andrew did not enforce it as the president. This resulted into “the Trail of Tears.”
Works Cited
"From Horseshoe Bend to the Trail of Tears." America's Story from America's Library. America's Library, 2013. Web. 23 Sept. 2013.
Langguth, A J. Driven West: Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears to the Civil War. New York, U.S. A.: Simon & Schuster, 2010. Print.
Sayre, Henry M. The Humanities: Culture, Continuity & Change. New York, U.S.A.: Custom Pub, 2008. Print.
