On December 6, 1830, in his annual message to Congress, President Andrew Jackson informed Congress on the progress of the removal of Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi River to land in the west. Show In the early 1800s, American demand for Indian nations' land increased, and momentum grew to force American Indians further west. The first major step to relocate American Indians came when Congress passed, and President Andrew Jackson signed, the Indian Removal Act of May 28, 1830. The Act authorized the President to negotiate removal treaties with Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi River, primarily in the states of Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, and others. The goal was to remove all American Indians living in existing states and territories and send them to unsettled land in the west. In his message on December 6, 1830, President Jackson informed Congress on the progress of the removal, stating, "It gives me pleasure to announce to Congress that the benevolent policy of the Government, steadily pursued for nearly thirty years, in relation to the removal of the Indians beyond the white settlements is approaching to a happy consummation." Jackson declared that removal would "incalculably strengthen the southwestern frontier." Clearing Alabama and Mississippi of their Indian populations, he said, would "enable those states to advance rapidly in population, wealth, and power." By the end of Jackson’s Presidency, his administration had negotiated almost 70 removal treaties. These led to the relocation of nearly 50,000 eastern Indians to the Indian Territory—what later became eastern Oklahoma. It opened up 25 million acres of eastern land to white settlement and, since the bulk of the land was in the American south, to the expansion of slavery. Perhaps the most well-known treaty, the Treaty of New Echota, ratified in 1836, called for the removal of the Cherokees living in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. The treaty was opposed by many members of the Cherokee Nation; and when they refused to leave, Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott was ordered to push them out. He was given 3,000 troops and the authority to raise additional state militia and volunteer troops to force removal. Despite Scott’s order calling for the removal of Indians in a humane fashion, this did not happen. During the fall and winter of 1838-39, the Cherokees were forcibly moved from their homes to the Indian Territory—some having to walk as many as 1,000 miles over a four-month period. Approximately 4,000 of 16,000 Cherokees died along the way. This sad chapter in our history is known as the "Trail of Tears." By the 1840s, nearly all Indian tribes had been driven west, which is exactly what the Indian Removal Act intended to accomplish. journal article The Federal Civil Service Under President JacksonThe Mississippi Valley Historical Review Vol. 13, No. 4 (Mar., 1927) , pp. 517-540 (24 pages) Published By: Oxford University Press https://doi.org/10.2307/1892462 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1892462 Journal Information In October, 1907 seven of the leading historical societies of the Mississippi Valley were invited to Lincoln, Nebraska "for the purpose of considering plans for effecting a permanent organization for the advancement of historical research and the collection and conservation of material in these western States." The result was the formation of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association. Seven years later, the Association launched the first issue of its quarterly Mississippi Valley Historical Review as a new publication to showcase the publishing activities of the Association. The March 1964 issue completed the fiftieth volume of the Mississippi Valley Historical Review, and at that time, the Association celebrated the half-century landmark anniversary by approving a name change of the Association's journal to The Journal of American History. Publisher Information Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. OUP is the world's largest university press with the widest global presence. It currently publishes more than 6,000 new publications a year, has offices in around fifty countries, and employs more than 5,500 people worldwide. It has become familiar to millions through a diverse publishing program that includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, school and college textbooks, business books, dictionaries and reference books, and academic journals. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. What were some of Andrew Jackson's policies?The most significant policies of Andrew Jackson's presidency were the Tenure of Office Act, the Spoils System; the Force Bill, dealing with the Second Bank, and the Indian Removal Act.
What was Jackson's administration known for?Andrew Jackson was the first to be elected president by appealing to the mass of voters rather than the party elite. He established the principle that states may not disregard federal law. However, he also signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the Trail of Tears.
What were 2 of the major actions of the Jackson presidency?Jackson signed Compromise Tariff Act. Reduces tariff rates gradually until from 1833-1842; responds to Southern unhappiness about tariffs of 1828. South Carolina rescinds nullification ordinance.
|
