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Indian Removal Dbq

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The 1500s saw the advent of European “discovery” of the Americas. Smallpox found its way into the New World in 1516, the Spaniards conquered Mexico and various parts of the Americas. The early 1600’s introduced British colonization, starting with the State of Virginia. Upon Columbus’s arrival, approximately 30 million Native Americans populated North America. Since then, 90 to 95% have been wiped out. Throughout the 1700’s, a number of wars broke out between Native Americans and whites. A population of 200 million people inhabiting the Americas found themselves subject to the will of foreigners who happened to have relatively lighter skin tones than them. The barbaric subjugation of indigenous peoples by whites is illustrative of the impact …show more content…

The law permitted the president to grant lands west of the Mississippi River to Native Americans in exchange for the lands they occupied. The United States government forcibly took lands owned by Native Americans and expelled them into territory outside of its borders. During the Trail of Tears, the forced relocation of the Cherokee tribe, approximately 4,000 died. Law and policy in relation to Native Americans rendered this period tumultuous, cruel, and void of justice.
Andrew Jackson’s comments regarding the Indian Removal Act were no more forgiving. He stated, “[i]t gives me pleasure to announce to Congress that the benevolent policy of the Government, steadily pursued for nearly thirty years, in relation to the removal of the Indians beyond the white settlements is approaching to a happy consummation.” By placing emphasis on the skin color of one group, Jackson expressed his disdain for the group lacking …show more content…

Mississippi courts refused to grant slaves any rights under the common law. The appellate court reversed the conviction of a slave charged with raping a female slave under ten years of age. The court stated that there was no statute criminalizing the rape of a black, thus the conviction had no basis in the law. Later, the Mississippi legislature found it necessary to express a modicum of humanity and enacted a law that “made it a crime for a black to rape, or attempt to rape, any ‘negro or mulatto female child under the age of

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