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Indian Removal Act Dbq

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How would you feel if you were forced to leave your home and never come back? The Indian Removal Act forced the Native Americans to move into new Indian Territory even though the Indians inhabited the lands first. In 1830, Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act and forced Native Americans to sign treaties. These treaties forced Native Americans to move to lands west of the Mississippi (Davidson 339). The Indian Removal Act was therefore out of order because the Indians were the first inhabitants of the land, the Americans cheated them on treaties and trades, and the Indians were treated horribly by the Americans. One of the main reasons why the Indian Removal Act was wrong is because the Native Americans were living on the land long before the Americans had discovered it. With their time, the Indians built a real nation with it’s own written language, printing press, and newspaper. They had a productive agricultural economy with an iron working industry, and also created their own government (Marshall). Since the Native Americans occupied these lands first, the Americans had no right to take these …show more content…

In 1832, the Indians signed a treaty which stated that the federal government would provide them with suitable western land and would protect them until they moved. But, with the onslaught of white settlers, the War Department backed down on it’s promise (pbs.org). Also in 1833, a small faction of the Cherokee were tricked to sign an illegal removal treaty, also known as the “Treaty of New Echota.” Led by Chief John Ross, over 15,000 Cherokees signed a petition in protest of this new treaty, but the Supreme court ignores their demands and instead ratified the treaty in 1836 (pbs.org). In all, the Indians shouldn’t have been forced to move since the Americans had cheated them in treaties and trades many times

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