Jackson’s policy in removing the native Indians shows a great deal on how Americans have treated the native Indians at that time. This policy is important because it shows the progression of removing the tribes in the United Sates. The Jackson administration decision to remove the Cherokee Indians to lands west of the Mississippi River in the 1830’s significantly changed the social and political policies pursued by the United States toward the tribes, but continued the economic policy.
The
Jackson administration changed the social policy toward the tribes by civilizing
the way they were living. In Document C, Henry Knox, secretary of war talks
about the Cherokee Nation will become more civilized by changing into
cultivators instead of remaining as hunters. This shows how important the
Cherokee are to the United States because they provide the food and the animals
that the Cherokee cultivate and herd. By being beneficial to the United States
they both trade with each other from time to time. In Document A, the United
States Government and the Cherokee Nation interact more about Cherokee land.
This shows that the Cherokee want to acquire more land because their population
is increasing making it hard for them to live in such a small area of land. In
other words while the Cherokee are struggling to acquire more land, other
states around them are forming making it more difficult to expand the Cherokee
Nation. In Addition the United States had been interacting with the tribes by
trading food and livestock, and in return for land, but at the end they were a huge
obstacle for the Americans.
The
Jackson Administration changed United States political policy toward the tribes
by rationalizing laws that the Native Indians have to follow. In Document A,
the United States Government and the Cherokee both agree to make a treaty which
will allow the Cherokee to have their very own nation. This causes to have
their nation be surrounded by the states, and will create hard decision making
on how to expand their nation more. Another cause is that the United States
Government will later break the treaty when the Cherokee Nation has no more
land to acquire. In Document B, Henry Knox secretary of war discusses the
decision to whether attack the Native Americans or settle a treaty with them.
This is important because the United States has the right set of laws to bring
the Native Americans under the laws they are given. This also shows that the decision
in killing the Native Americans is not thought completely when they want to
settle a treaty with them. Therefore, the few limitations that the United States
gave the Native Indians was the settlement between them and the treaty even if
the treaty was useless it gave the United States a time to let the Native
Americans to come to realize that there was no other place to settle unless to
go to the west.
The
Jackson Administration continued the United States economic policy toward the
tribes by expanding the trade within the Cherokee and the Americans. In
Document P, Chief Justice John Marshall of the United States Supreme Court
discusses the fact that natives can now trade with whites which will treat them
as nations. This is important because the government and the people are
treating the natives as partners for trade. Another cause is that as long the
natives and the Americans have a partnership in trading goods there will be
good economy as things are being offered to one another. In Document I, President Monroe,
first annual messenger to the congress, talks about the way they want to
construct the natives get their food, and turn them into farmers to get land.
This shows that the only way to purchase the land from the Native Indians is to
make them civilized farmers. This also shows that the Indians will get a chance
on also purchasing land as they cultivate their crops and livestock. On the
other hand, this allowed both of these groups to collide one another for trade
in order for beneficial reasons of living and maintaining the economy.
In
conclusion, the social and political policies significantly changed the history
between the Americans and the natives as the United States started expanding thought
out the west. However the economic policy remained intact because as the United
States went to the west they met many native tribes, and soon they started
interacting with each other, and purchasing off with different kinds of crops
and livestock, and land.
