Indian Policy Essay

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.