Andrew Jackson, The "Sharp Knife" When we look back into history, we are now able to fully comprehend the atrocities the Indians faced at the hands of the historic general and President, Andrew Jackson. It can be seen as one of the most shameful and unjust series of political actions taken by an American government. However, as an American living almost 200 years later, it is crucial to look at the motives possessed by Andrew Jackson, and ask whether he fully comprehended the repercussions of his actions or if is was simply ignorant to what he was subjection the natives to. We must also consider weather he truly had the countries best interest in mind, or his own. We can begin to see Jackson's vigilante style leadership following …show more content…
However, despite the knowledge that the Natives were in alliance with our countries enemies, there were still those who saw Jackson as a vicious killer and brutal vigilante. Even though these historical events took place nearly 200 years ago, several of the same problems faced with modern America also plagued the country during the 1800's. One major dilemma faced during Jackson's time was the divided country. Once Jackson takes office in 1829, almost immediately he begins a crusade to expel the Indians out of white inhabited eastern lands. Despite his belief that there is no conceivable way for the Natives and settlers to ever live together and coexist in the same community, he does seem to show awareness and what appears to be remorse towards the Indians and what they have been subjected to. In his First Annual Message on December 8, 1829 Jackson states to the Senate and of the House of Representatives: "Their (Natives) present condition, contrasted with what they once were, makes a most powerful appeal to our sympathies By persuasion and force they have been made to retire from river to river and from mountain to mountain, until some of the tribes have become extinct and others have left but remnants to preserve for a while their once terrible names. Surrounded by the whites with their arts of civilization, which by destroying the resources of the savage doom him to
Robert V. Remini shows that Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act benefits the Native Americans. Andrew Jackson made notice of the issue with the Indians in his inaugural speech on March 4, 1829. He declared that he wanted to give humane and considerable attention to the Indian’s rights and wants in respect to the government and people. Jackson knew that meant to get rid of all remaining tribes beyond the Mississippi River. He (Jackson) believed that the Indians would be better off in the west; without the influence from the white man or local authority. Jackson hired two Tennessee generals to go visit the Creeks and Cherokees to see if the Indians would leave voluntarily. In that, those who did not leave would be protected by the
Jackson did not serve for the people of America, Jackson served to change America how he believe it should be run. By ignoring the government Jackson acts more like a king than a president. Jackson went against Supreme Court decision and removed Indians from their land. As Jackson said in his Second Annual Message to Congress Jackson commented that, “the removal of the Indians beyond the white settlements is approaching to a happy consummation” (Doc E). Indians on the land that Jackson forcibly removed them from was delegated as their land by the Supreme Court. By going against the Supreme Court, Jackson did not act presidentially. Also, The removal of Indians resulted in countless Indian deaths and resulted in violence. Another example of Jackson attending to his own agenda was the issue of nullification and South Carolina. Jackson had a personal bias against John C. Calhoun, and threatened him when Calhoun exclaimed that South Carolina would leave the union if Jackson didn’t allow South Carolina to lower or rid of the tariff on imported
In 1835, President Andrew Jackson proclaimed that the Native Americans were to be removed from their homeland. Jackson claimed that the Native Americans were “savage hunters” among the “civilized population.” Also, during this time Jackson was preparing for his second term where he refused to help the Native Americans for then he would be conflicting against the whites.
During the 19th Century, The Trail of Tears was the greatest crime against the indigenous population, in which the Indian removal Act led to their destruction. President Andrew Jackson removed the Native Americans from their ancestral lands because he believed that they were uncivilized. Jackson had no remorse for the Native Americans, as he and the whites forced them out of their own land, as he abused his power of authority.
In his annual message delivered in 1830 to the Congress, Andrew Jackson says that the government is willing to give the Indians new home far away from the „settled, civilized, christian people” just because he thinks they are savages and cannot live next to normal people, and even further, he wants them to be grateful about it. He says they should be happy that he removes them from places where their ancestors lived and died. Jackson names it a kind, generous gesture and persuades people that this is the only solution, that Indians cannot live among other people because they are too wild, too little civilized and have to live away from civilization.
Andrew Jackson, The United States seventh president, was possibly one of the worst human beings to be president and treated the Native Indians horribly. He, was a bully and used his position to get acts and petitions like the Indian Removal Act passed, to help push Native Indians around so he could get his own way. The Indian Removal Act in and of itself seemingly doesn’t contain that much power, however it was all the power Jackson needed. The circumstances of Jackson’s character and the debates surrounding the Act also lend and interesting lens to examine what Jackson intentions were. When looking at Jackson and how he managed to relocate the Native it becomes substantially more integral to examine all the documents with a wide scope to see how he even managed the relocation of Natives.
When one hears the name Andrew Jackson, there are many feelings that are conjured up by an individual. Some of these emotions include fear, disgust, and comedy. These sentiments are of reason for substantial evidence exists to prove these emotions plausible. Andrew Jackson was the seventh president under the Constitution of the United States of America who presided from 1829 until 1837. However, he was the first president to be impeached. With his controversial presidency, Andrew Jackson implemented many policies that continue to impact the United States in the modern era. His most controversial contribution was the Indian Removal Act. The Indian Removal Act prompted the infamous Trail of Tears that killed many Cherokee Native Americans and moved them westward to confined reservations. Of course, to implement such grand policy, Jackson had to unduly convince Congress of those actions. In Andrew Jackson’s speech given February 22nd, 1831 entitled “Message Regarding Indian Relations,” he tries to vindicate the Indian Removal Act, outline the benefits of such legislation, and explain why such it was indeed important. Rhetorical strategies such as ethos, pathos, and logos are effectively utilized by Jackson to persuade Congress to believe in the merits of upholding the Indian Removal Act which then lead to westward expansion and Native American migration from their homelands.
The government, and most of the new inhabitants of the New World, believed that the Indians were “unruly, violent creatures” that were beneath them (Masaryk University, Relations Between English Settlers and Indians in 17th Century New England, 42). The only reason why several Indians accepted the terms of Jackson's land policies was due to his skillful rhetoric and sensible speaking skills. Furthermore, the Indians lacked experience in having to make highly significant accommodations among, and for, their people. Jackson had a vast history of public disgust for the Indian society. Prior to his presidency, Andrew Jackson started with a military background in Tennessee that primarily involved revolts against the Indians. He also led a campaign against a group of Indians known as the “Red Sticks” (Cayton, Contact Points: American Frontiers from the Mohawk Valley to the Mississippi, 173). Through this campaign Jackson showed extreme disgust and revulsion towards the Indian people, and consistently discussed how he never felt America was safe so long as the Indians were around. These policies were destructive to the Indian population, and further conveyed Andrew Jackson’s prejudice attitude towards the Indians. Jackson's land policies eventually solely benefitted the white settlers, by taking most land
Andrew Jackson wasn’t just a president, he could be seen as a tyrant and a democratic supporter of the people. A lot of people voted for jackson to be the president of the united states, even the whole electoral college. But the reason he got voted on by some many people was because they all had different views of Jackson, but mainly I think he was a tyrant. Is Andrew Jackson a democratic supporter of the people or a tyrant? Andrew Jackson is a tyrant because he wasn't respectful to people, forced indians out, and vetoed laws for his own good.
It is clear from the the documents that Andrew Jackson acted like a king in his presidency. One reason that Andrew Jackson acted like a king was because he owned a lot of slaves. Document 7 stated that in Andrew Jackson's presidency, from 1829 to the mid 1830s, his slave holdings went up a lot from 1794 to the mid 1830s. This proves that he acted like a king because normally, kings have a lot of slaves. Mr.Moore taught us that he owned over 300 slaves. This proves he acted like a king because none of the other presidents had over 300 slaves. Jackson was the only president of his time that had a lot of slaves.
America and Indians did not see eye to eye in the 1800’s. During that time America would try to remove and relocate tribes to a new land. This would cause the Indians and America to be built off of tension that would cause difficulties and harm to both sides.
Andrew Jackson, the democratic, seventh president of the United States, would propose an act, that would become infamous among future generations, as the genocide of the indigenous people of the Americas. Jackson was elected in 1828, two years before the passage of his Indian Removal Act, that would determine the fate of the Natives Americans in Georgia. Andrew Jackson, countering George WAshingtons views and past acts on the vatives will fight for a bill in 1830 that would forever change our stance with Native Americans (Jason Meyers 54).The reasons for such an act, was simple in the mind of Andrew Jackson. It was a matter of the notion “Manifest Destiny”, or the widely accepted belief that the settlers of the United States were to be the ones to settle the land all across the continent. Upon handling the Native Americans, Andrew Jackson showed early on, that he would have little tolerance to their reactions. Andrew Jackson, in favor of a more agressive route to depart the Natives farther West, rather than Congress’s treaty to negotiate with the Indians concerning land decided to take the matters into his own jurdiction (Alfred Cave 1333). Going past the legal realm that the Indian Removal Act provided, Jackson was often threatening the Native Tribes by saying he would revoked their rights (Alfred Cave 1390). When Jackson was trying to get this act passed, he was often met with differential views from the people. Congressmen in favor of Jackson often had to reassure the
Andrew Jackson—our country’s seventh President and a decorated army general—is one of the most controversial figures in American history. Many praise him for his role in bringing about popular democracy and individual rights; however, Jackson’s role in the Indian Removal Act, his extreme racism, and his support for slavery cause many to question his legacy. Jackson’s involvement in the Seminole Wars is particularly disturbing since he not only authorized but actively encouraged the use of force against the women and children of the Seminole tribe. While Jackson was by no means the first leader to target civilian populations as a means to winning wars, the Seminole Wars are a particularly brutal example of this approach. The Seminole Wars
In American history many acts of cruelty and or unjustified beliefs were acted upon. Some of these events were led by citizens and in some cases, such as the case of Andrew Jackson, led by presidents. Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States of America from 1829-1837.1 His presidency and policies, such as the Indian Removal Act, and his part in The Second Bank of the U.S and South Carolina’s Tariff, will be remembered for years. They consisted of such personal opinion and were so controversial few will ever forget.
The United States of America has gone through huge transformation and historical events that has now given freedom and independence throughout. The freedom has been given through war and key decisions made that have eventually won its independence and created the United States of America from East to West. Andrew Jackson was the president in the early 1800’s that made a considerable amount of change. Theses changes and action that he was involved in changed America forever, in which gave him the respect from the people of America. He was a symbol for his age, becoming a true historical figure and a hero for the people. He defeated the British and expanded America to unifying and create nationalism for the common people of America. This essay will discuss the ways in which Andrew Jackson is depicted as a symbol of the age, in that he was the age. The events and action that took place to give the seventh president power and unify a nation and its own identity in the world.