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Indian Removal Act Of 1830 Summary

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For generations the Native Americans were forcefully removed from their lands, enslaved and murdered. The harsh treatment of Native Americans by both the Europeans and the Americans led to a change in how the native people acted and to their subsequent distrust of the white races.

The Europeans took advantage of the native people in the Americas when they first encountered them. In “A People’s History of the United States”, Howard Zinn wrote, “These Arawaks of the Bahamas Islands were much like the Indians on the mainland, who were remarkable (European observers were to say again and again) for their hospitality, their belief in sharing.” The native people welcomed the Europeans with open arms when they docked on the Indian’s land. They …show more content…

The Native Americans believed that their land was sovereign, thus not subjected to the United States laws. When Andrew Jackson became president, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This allowed President Jackson to negotiate treaties with the Native Americans for their land. In the article, “Indian Treaties and the Removal Act of 1830”, the author states, “ The Act established a process whereby the president could grant land west of the Mississippi River to Indian tribes that agreed to give up their home lands. As incentives, the law allowed the Indians financial and material assistance to travel to their new locations and start new lives…” Andrew Jackson didn’t negotiate treaties; he bullied tribes into signing them. The tribes who signed a treaty got to their new land by walking on what is now called the Trail of Tears. In the PBS article “Indian Removal” the author stated, “[The Cherokee] were not allowed time to gather their belongings, and as they left, whites looted their homes… 4,000 Cherokee people died of cold, hunger and disease on their way to the western land.” When the Indians were forcefully moved, they couldn’t find food on their new, unfamiliar

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