Thomas Jefferson and his Sentiments towards
The Assimilation of the Cherokee Nation
Thomas Jefferson firmly believed in white supremacy and the inferiority of other races to the American race. He praised the agrarian lifestyle and believed that it represented the only true American vocation. Due to this notion, he advocated for the assimilation of other races into a homogeneous society based upon American culture. However, Jefferson did not believe that every race had the inherent capabilities of assimilation. He maintained that the African American race and the whites could never coexist in a society together due to the fundamental differences in their nature. According to Jefferson, the intelligence of the black man was far inferior to …show more content…
He and his counterparts urged the Native Americans to relinquish their practices of hunting and turn to a newer lifestyle that valued agriculture and household manufacture. The Cherokees alone were more numerous than all Indians in the original northern states, and they were very close to white southern settlements. Jefferson believed that the Cherokees would be more accepting of the assimilation process than other Native American tribes due to their proximity in relations with the white settlers. It is this closeness in relation to the American people that Jefferson believed would aid the Cherokees in becoming more …show more content…
He states that it is unnecessary for him to reiterate the follies that intertwine themselves in an aggressive and war-hungry Indian tribe. Jefferson states that the Cherokees are already aware of this due to their successful assimilation into the agrarian way of life. Yet Jefferson warns them to keep an eye on the younger members of the Cherokee Nation, because some of them have yet to fully comprehend the benefits of assimilation and the woes of attempting to maintain tribal sovereignty. He cautions the Cherokees that if they are to allow some of their fellow men “to cross the Mississippi to war with the Indians on the other side of that river, we must let those Indians take revenge on you.” The Mississippi River served as the dividing boundary that separated aggressive tribes from those Native Americans who had acquiesced with Jefferson’s policies for assimilation. The United States government did not formally recognize those aggressive tribes to the west of the Mississippi River. Most of these tribes in the western territories had been forcefully removed by the government in an order to claim as much Indian land as possible. Jefferson treated the assimilated Indians as a class and tried to use them to make all Indians be white, or else be removed to the far
The Assimilation of the Cherokee Nation
Thomas Jefferson firmly believed in white supremacy and the inferiority of other races to the American race. He praised the agrarian lifestyle and believed that it represented the only true American vocation. Due to this notion, he advocated for the assimilation of other races into a homogeneous society based upon American culture. However, Jefferson did not believe that every race had the inherent capabilities of assimilation. He maintained that the African American race and the whites could never coexist in a society together due to the fundamental differences in their nature. According to Jefferson, the intelligence of the black man was far inferior to …show more content…
He and his counterparts urged the Native Americans to relinquish their practices of hunting and turn to a newer lifestyle that valued agriculture and household manufacture. The Cherokees alone were more numerous than all Indians in the original northern states, and they were very close to white southern settlements. Jefferson believed that the Cherokees would be more accepting of the assimilation process than other Native American tribes due to their proximity in relations with the white settlers. It is this closeness in relation to the American people that Jefferson believed would aid the Cherokees in becoming more …show more content…
He states that it is unnecessary for him to reiterate the follies that intertwine themselves in an aggressive and war-hungry Indian tribe. Jefferson states that the Cherokees are already aware of this due to their successful assimilation into the agrarian way of life. Yet Jefferson warns them to keep an eye on the younger members of the Cherokee Nation, because some of them have yet to fully comprehend the benefits of assimilation and the woes of attempting to maintain tribal sovereignty. He cautions the Cherokees that if they are to allow some of their fellow men “to cross the Mississippi to war with the Indians on the other side of that river, we must let those Indians take revenge on you.” The Mississippi River served as the dividing boundary that separated aggressive tribes from those Native Americans who had acquiesced with Jefferson’s policies for assimilation. The United States government did not formally recognize those aggressive tribes to the west of the Mississippi River. Most of these tribes in the western territories had been forcefully removed by the government in an order to claim as much Indian land as possible. Jefferson treated the assimilated Indians as a class and tried to use them to make all Indians be white, or else be removed to the far