Consequences Of The Indian Removal Act

On May 28, 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. The law authorized Andrew Jackson to negotiate with Indians for their removal to federal land west of the Mississippi River in exchange for their homelands. Andrew Jackson was able to convince the American people that Indians could not coexist peacefully with them. He argued that the Indians were uncivilized and needed to be guarded from their own savage ways. As a result of his actions, thousands of Indians were forcibly ripped from their homes and onto a journey to a unknown territory, that was not as fertile as their home grounds. This law triggered the mass genocide of Indians in the United States. The Indian Removal Act was unjustifiable due to the natives creation of a civilized …show more content…
It is pretty simple, the natives were there first, therefore they get the land. Indians discovered America hundreds of years before the British. The British did not find new land, they found already owned land. If the Americans wanted the land, they could have paid the natives for it or tried to make some sort of trade. Instead, the British barged in acting like they owned the place. The colonists claim they discovered the land and acted like they were entitled to it. More settlers started coming to America even with the knowledge it was inhabited. Colonists kept pushing west and killing Indians on the way. Although, some British did trade with the natives for land, it was not a fair deal. They took a large piece of fertile land in exchange for a small desert like area. “...the Cherokee people would have to surrender something fundamental: either the land they had lived on for thousands of years or their very identity as Cherokees living under their own sovereign government.”(Smith 4). As illustrated by this quote, the natives did not have much of a choice in leaving, either they gave up their culture, independence, and completely changed their way of life, or they gave up their land. The Native Americans would be killed by colonists who wanted their land and sacrifice their family and tribe, or they could leave peacefully. This can be compared to the Holocaust, the Jewish could either abandon their faith …show more content…
The land from the Louisiana Purchase was just recently acquired and citizens wanted to extend the nation from sea to shining sea. This is a dangerous thought process. Instead of biting off more than it can chew, America should focus on governing and maintaining the land they just got, instead of trying to get even more. After recovering from the War of 1812, the United States should try to keep peaceful relations with the natives. By taking their land, there will be obvious backlash from the natives, which will cost American deaths and money. Money would also need to be spent maintaining these new lands and creating towns there.This money would be much better spent helping to advance American society than a useless war. In addition, the land where the Native Americans are inhabiting is widely undiscovered. No one knows what dangers await there, maybe there will be new diseases,harsh climates, or infertile land. What is the point of putting so much effort into getting land that is either a hit or a miss. Acquiring more land also puts a larger target on a country’s back. The more land, the more desirable the United States will seem to other countries. In essence, America should be thankful for the land it has and focus on maintaining that instead of making a power hungry