Jackson's Empty Promises

Cori Gonzales Luara Guardino Hist 1 16 December 2010

According to Andrew Jackson's State of the Union speech from December 30, 1830, there was in his mind a , “ Happy consummation,” with the Indian people and the White settlements. Jackson proceeded to declare in his speech that the Indian race would be saved, if they relocated, and that the American government would pay for their move and support them for a year even after relocating. “How many thousands of our own people would gladly embrace the opportunity of removing to the West on such conditions!” Jackson wrote in his speech. (carleton.ca) However, although Jackson portrayed some paternalistic tendencies towards the Indians, he proved to be relentless in battle against them, was the key instrument in Indian Removal, and the Indians, despite Jackson's alluring sales pitch, ended up suffering tragically. According to Jackson, many white settlers, and various states, this is what needed to happen in order for American to grow and be civilized. In this paper I will discuss Jackson's proposals and reasoning for Indian removal, what the Indians went through while being removed, and how it affected them in the long run. Even though Jackson was known to have be-friended many Indians, and even adopted a small Indian boy that he raised, he pushed for Indian Removal and believed it was the best solution for Indians and White settlers.(Native Americans 281) Jackson, who was looked at as a hero, because of the battle against the British, was certain that the White people and the Indians would just never be able to live together. Jackson believed that that his job was to provide safe settlement, and that there was only one way to do that, get rid of the Indians. The Eastern Indians called Jackson, “ Sharp Knife, “ or “ The Great Devil.” Jackson was a fearsome man, who let nothing stop him, and he was respected by many. It seemed as if Jackson was invincible when it came to battling the Indians. (Hist Chan). There had been many bloody battles between the Indians and the settlers, in which Jackson proceeded to annihilate the Natives. According to the documentary, “Andrew Jackson,” (History channel) the Red stick Indians, otherwise known as the Creeks, massacred a settlement of Whites at Fort Sims on August 30, 1813. They went as far as killing children and crushing babies skulls, and ended up brutally killing around 400 White people. When the American government heard of this news, they called none other but Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson and his troops fought the Red stick Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and and wiped them out swiftly. Jackson's men suffered only a few casualties. However, the Indians could not say the same, and one of Jackson's soldiers found a crying baby laying in the arms of his dead mother. This child would grow up to be Jackson's adopted son. ( Hist Chan) This battle resulted in Jackson drawing up the Treaty of Fort Jackson in 1814.(US History.com) This treaty demanded that the Indians surrender and pay for the battle themselves by giving up their land.( georgia. info) The First Seminole war followed shortly after the Creek battle. In 1817, White settlers attacked Florida Indians and the Indians were ready for revenge. They attacked rural and isolated homes in Georgia. Andrew Jackson was sent out with 3000 troops to deal with the Seminoles. Jackson and his men proved to be successful and they destroyed many Indian settlements along the way. (US History.com) Meanwhile there were Indians who were trying to establish themselves in White communities and acclimate themselves to a new culture, however, they became frustrated that many White people wanted them to abandon their culture all together. They wouldn't allow them to speak their Native language, or perform their Indian tribal dances. They were told to be silent and become new people. (Native Americans 197) One man by the name of John Ridge did all he could to literally change into a White man. He learned English, dressed accordingly, received a law degree, and became, “civilized” according to the White population. However, on the day he was to wed, there were people rioting and screaming their obvious dislike outside his wedding venue because he was marrying a White woman. He felt disappointed, angry, and frustrated. He had done what the White people suggested, yet it made no difference.(We Shall Remain) Indian Assimilation did not seem to be working and the tensions between Whites and Indians was continuing to build up. It seemed that too much had happened and was continuing to happen between the Whites and Indians. There were many stories about Indians told by White people. Certain violent incidents involving the Indians made the Whites more discriminatory. ( Native Americans 33-38) . They had many stories of various people, friends, and even distant relatives who had been scalped and tormented by the Indians. They had accounts of battles between their people and the Indians, where the Indians seemed like savages on the battle field and truly barbaric. Indians had their own stories to share. An Indian by the name of Black Hawk, a Sauk chief, delivered a speech to a group of Sauk warriors. The speech was heard by a White prisoner who stated that Black Hawk said the following, “ From the day when the palefaces landed upon our shores, they have been robbing us of our inheritance, and slowly, but surely, driving us back, back, back, toward the setting sun, burning our villages destroying our growing crops, ravishing our wives and daughters, beating our papooses with cruel sticks, and brutally murdering our people upon the most flimsy pretenses and trivial causes...... ” (Native Americans 65) It seemed unlikely that the two cultures would ever have a peaceful exsistance. However, not all the Indians felt this way. In 1813, an article was written for the Niles weekly Register. Two Cherokee Indian chiefs by the names of To-Cha Lee and Chu Li-Oa wrote to the United States because they wanted to show them that their tribe was thriving. In they letter they ask for peace with the U.S., declaring that they were becoming civilized, prospering, their cattle was plenty, the woman were learning the art of using the spinning wheel, and that many people in the tribe were learning to read the English language. They write, “Many of our youth of both sexes have acquired such knowledge of letters and figures as to show to the most incredulous that our mental powers are not by nature inferior to yours-and we look forward to a period of time, when it may be said, this artist, this mathematician, this astronomer, is a Cherokee.” (Native Americans 79) Despite their pleas, Andrew Jackson wrote his First annual address to the Congress in 1829. In his address he explains to Congress how there were many Indian tribes who were being forced to spread out and that they were in fact going to become extinct if they all didn't gather themselves and agree to be removed.(synaptic.bc.ca) In his speech he genuinely seems concerned about the well-being of the Indian tribes, and that there is really no other choice but for them to relocate to a new land and life. Was Jackson truly concerned, or just an eloquent writer who knew how to appeal to the minds of the men in Congress? According to some, Jackson truly hated Indians because of certain ideals that had been passed down to him by his mother. A few of his family members had been slaughtered by Indians, and this made his mother harbor resentment and distrust toward the Native people. Many believed that he had a deep rooted hatred toward the Indian people despite his speeches and addresses.(History channel) However despite these beliefs, he seems to be genuinely concerned for the welfare of the Indian race in his Second Annual Message to Congress on December 6, 1830. Jackson states, “ Humanity has often wept over the fate of the aborigines of this country, and Philanthropy has been long busily employed in devising means to avert it, but its progress has never for a moment been arrested, and one by one have many powerful tribes disappeared from the earth...”( pbs.org) Jackson, convinced that there was no reason for the general government and the states to argue anymore over Indian affairs, believed that Indian removal would deliver power and strength to the Southwestern Frontier. Congress, upon reviewing his addresses, passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830.(carleton.ca) The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was passed at the persistent urging of Andrew Jackson, and declared that tribes of the Southeastern U.S. were to be relocated to a new home west of the Mississippi River. This Act made it possible for the very eager White settlers to take over the land occupied by , “ The .” Georgia, which was a very large state would prove to be especially vicious in the removal of the Indians. Although The Indian Removal Act was supposed to remove the Indians peacefully and without force, the greed of the American White Settlers, provoked by Andrew Jackson, seemed to erase that notion.(We Shall Remain) Although Congress finally passed the act in 1830, Jackson has been busy from 1814-1824 drafting up treaties with 9 out of 11 tribes. (We Shall Remain) Many of the Indians signed in hopes of keeping some of their land, or to avoid being harassed by White Americans. However, because of the treaties, the U.S. took over much of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and North Carolina. A prosperous future for the Indians certainly looked bleak. The Seminole Indians and the Creeks decided to fight back in a war lasting a year. They were aided by fugitives which only angered the Whites even more. (Indian Removal pbs.org). There were the 5 nations who were compliant, thus receiving the name, “ The Five Civilized Tribes.” The five tribes, the Senecas, Oneidas, Stockbridge, Tuscaroras, Cayugas, and Onondagas willingly participated in the Agreement with the Five Nations of Indians, 1792. This article drafted by Henry Knox agreed to give these tribes 1500 dollars annually for food and amenities if they signed the treaty.(digital.library.OKstate.edu) However, even though they tried to assimilate into White society, the Whites were not very welcoming. ( Indian Removal pbs.org). The Cherokee tribe, however, tried to overcome losing their land, not by force or signing a treaty, but instead civilly by using the law. The Cherokee Indian tribe decided to create their own constitution and took their case to the Supreme Court. They were ecstatic that they had actually won the case, Worcester V. Georgia, 1832. The Supreme Court declared, “ The sixth and seventh articles stipulate for the punishment of either country who may commit offenses on or against the citizens of the other. The only inference to be drawn from them is the at the United States considered the as a nation.”(Justia.com) Despite the win, Jackson decided he would not back the Supreme Court's decision, and without backing, it simply fell through the cracks.(Rozema12) Sadly, the Cherokees lands were signed away in a $5 million dollar deal with the U.S. Government, otherwise known as the Treaty of New Echota, 1835. (ancestry.com) On this fateful day, 20 men signed the treaty and the Cherokee's had 2 years in which to either give up its lands and emigrate or become citizens where they currently resided. If they chose to become citizens, they would only have 160 acres of land, and they would have to follow all the laws of that particular State, with the exception of Georgia. The Cherokees felt this treaty was fraudulent, however, there seemed no way out of of emigrating to what is now known as .(We Shall Remain) There was one man who wouldn't go down without a fight, and his name was John Ross, Chief of the Cherokee's. On September 28, 1836 John Ross wrote a letter to the Senate and the House of Representatives. He explained that the men, including Elias Boudinot and Ridge, who gathered together to sign the Treaty of New Echota did not have the backing of the Cherokee people. He revealed in his letter that Cherokee nation did not consent to the signing of the treaty, and that they were already starting to lose their homes and possessions. However, Ross's letter fell onto deaf ears, and Ross knew his people were in serious trouble. At one point, he drew up a petition and gathered 15, 655 signatures from the Cherokee people and missionaries which with all the signatures became a scroll that was a 160 ft. long. When Ross took the petition to present to Congress, a duel broke out between two Congressmen and the meeting was adjourned. Unfortunately for Ross, his petition was forgotten.(We Shall Remain) Matters started to become progressively worse for the those Indians who hadn't removed West of Mississippi. It didn't help that Andrew Jackson had just wrote his Seventh Annual Message to Congress, December 7, 1835 that stated, “All preceding experiments for the improvement of the Indians have failed. It seems now to be an established fact they can not live in contact with a civilized community and prosper. Age of fruitless endeavors have at length brought us to a knowledge of this principle of intercommunication with them...”(pbs.org) There were many Indians who had already left, some including the Choctaws were among the first to go. After the Indian Removal Act of 1830 was put into place, the first removal treaty that was created was with the Choctaws. The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830 was a treaty with the Choctaws from the U.S. Government simply stating that they could no longer protect them. In order for the Choctaws to live in peace in the U.S. They had to get rid of their land and move west of the Mississippi where they could reside safely. The Choctaws are assured in their treaty that they will be a sovereign nation in their new land, under their own rule, and that the U.S. will punish anyone who tries to invade or settle in their nation without permission.( vaiden.net) The Choctaw Indians were transported by boats and walked very far distances to get to their assigned land. Disease and death were rampant. While the Choctaws marched west of the Mississippi, one woman proceeded to walk 500 miles with her four small children. During the night, a tree blew down as result of a storm, crushing 3 of her children. They died instantly. Because they were on a time schedule, the American soldiers pushed her to move on and she was not able to bury her children according to the Indian tradition ways of burial. ( We Shall Remain) The Cherokee's, on the other hand, had two years to get themselves prepared for the Indian removal deadline, May 1838.( Rozema 19) As this day drew near, White soldiers began circling the

Cherokee's like vultures, many Indians were already being forced out of their houses and losing their land. In Georgia, White Americans were buying tickets to auction off homes that were still occupied by

Indians. Because of President Jackson's signature, Indian Removal became the law for all states. The

Indians could no longer look for help from the federal government. They had to be obedient to whatever state they resided in. Whatever the States decided to do concerning Indians, their homes, and land, was completely up to the States. Once Jackson became an ally with Georgia, Cherokee Indians began to be whipped, ran out of their homes with none of their possessions, and treated like prisoners of the State. Little did they know, the worst was yet to come ( Rozema 11-23)

By 1837, the first group of Cherokee's left . It was a small group consisting of about 450 people, and there were no reported deaths from this detachment. Things became more severe on may

23, 1838 when the deadline for removal arrived. At this time, there were around 16,000 Cherokee's, however only about 2,000 had shown up to be taken to the West. American troops were ordered to start retrieving the Cherokee people. The Cherokee's were ordered out of their homes. Cherokee's were dragged kick and screaming from their dinner tables. Men were grabbed by troops on their way home from working in the field. Cherokee woman who were spinning on their looms, children playing outside, and even the elderly who were sleeping were seized as prisoners. They could take only what was on their backs, all of their other possessions became property of the State. Many Indians were forced out without warm clothing or shoes. The Cherokees were then forced to walk, or loaded on boats, and transferred to emigration camps where they would be held until the great journey West.

Many of the Cherokees ended up in these camps for several months which would prove to be devastating to this tribe. While waiting in stockades like prisoners, they were ordered to sleep on the ground no matter what the weather conditions. In the camps, sickness spread like wild fire and it is estimated around 2,000 Cherokees perished while waiting to emigrate.(Rozema 19-30) Finally, the 850 mile trip seemed to take off in the month of December. It just so happened it was one of the worst winters that they had seen in years. Storms made the trip, that was predicted to take 3-4 months, much longer. There were times when the Cherokee's were trapped in blizzards unable to move for weeks at a time restricted by the snow and ice. Eventually, food began to run out. Cherokee women were recorded to have been seen carrying their dying children. Many of them traveled in these extreme conditions with nothing on their feet, burying around 15 people at every stop. (We Shall Remain) Rebecca

Neugin, a three year old Indian girl was interviewed by a historian in her elder years and said the following, “ The people got so tired of eating salt pork on the journey that my father would walk through the woods as we traveled, hunting for turkeys and deer which he brought into camp to feed us.

Camp was usually made at some place where water was to be had and when we stopped and prepared to cook our food other emigrants who had been driven from their homes without opportunity to secure cooking utensils came to our camp to use our pots and kettles. There was much sickness among the emigrants and a great many little children died of whooping cough.” ( 31) It seemed as if the , “ Happy consummation,” that Jackson had spoke of to the public was not proving to have successful results.

Although Jackson had reassured the public that Indian Removal was the best choice for all and allowed states to do their bidding as far as Indian Removal was concerned, it seemed as if he did not think about how challenging it would be to move as many Indians as he did. It was estimated that about one hundred thousand Indians in total were were moved west of the Mississippi River in the first half of the nine-teenth century. The Cherokee's , “ Walk of Death,” is known by many people today. It is said that as many as 4,000-6,000 Cherokee's died while waiting in camps, and while on the trail.

However, the Choctaws, it's been told, had lost about 15 percent of their tribe due to removal. The

Creeks and Seminoles lost about 50 percent of their population.( Trail of Tears 41) Many of these tribes experienced death after they emigrated due to incredible waves of terrible sickness. As you can see, the aftermath of removal was just beginning.

It was not easy for the Indian people once they found themselves in their new homes. Many of the Indians who had emigrated earlier had set up their own governments and way of life. As new batches of detachments arrived, chaos spread over who had the power to govern. Emigrants who had been in the new homeland longer expected the new emigrants to abide by their laws and rules. The

Indians, especially the Cherokee's, had to deal with even more sickness and death while they were trying to settle in because of a small pox break out. Many of the Indians were forced at gunpoint to leave their homes, and had absolutely nothing. Now that they were in their new homes, they found themselves completely destitute and without enough resources. So many Indians had to start over, making resources from clay, and shoes and moccasins out of deer skins. ( Trail of Tears 31-41) There were many hardships for the Indians to overcome in their new home, and if they thought they would be done with the White settlers once they moved, they were sorely mistaken.

In 1887, the Dawes General Allotment Act was put into place. This act would ensure that the

Indians would have allotments of land for their own personal usage, however the open land that was non-Indian was to be used for settlers and railroads. Not only was the government trying to get the

Indians to entertain a more civilized life, less spread out and tribunal, they were hoping it would benefit more expansion as well. (ebscohost.com) This angered the Cherokee's and on January 27, 1893 a newspaper article was published in the The New York Sun newspaper. The Cherokee nation wrote to

Congress stating that their homeland was now being invaded with about 5,000 outsiders. The

Cherokee's remind the U.S. Government of the 1835, Treaty of Echota, and how they are supposed to be protected against non-Indian, U.S. Citizens trying to settle in their lands without permission. The article points out that 31 years after the Treaty had been put into place, White settlers were already moving in. (loc.gov) The Indians knew that trouble would also arise from the land allotments because around two-thirds of their land was only good for grazing purposes. They knew they would not be able to afford to live by raising stock and herding on only 160 acres. In the Long term, the Dawes Act stayed in place until 1934 and resulted in the Indians losing 86 million acres of their land. ( Native American

221)

The Indian Appropriation Act of 1851 was passed so that Indians could be put into reservations.

The government told the Indians this would protect them and would help them stay secure against the White Americans expanding further. This did not prove to be true, because the more people expanded, the smaller the reservations became. (wikipedia.org) Many Indians became frustrated and turned to crime, alcoholism, and some even tried to go back to their original homes East of the Mississippi.

Rozema )

It is amazing to sit and think about what would of happened if the Treaty of Paris, which was constructed in 1763, might never of happened. The Treaty of Paris gave Britain the land East of the

Mississippi. (avalon.law.yale.edu) Britain then sent over settlers to Virginia, and the rest is history.

What was once roaming lands, filled with game and wildlife for hunting would eventually become barren and the wild like would reduce in a way that made hunting hard to live by. At one time the

Indian tribes spread out spaciously over the land with only certain neighboring tribes to worry about, life was simple and peaceful at one time for the Indian people. The expansion of the Southwester frontier spread like wildfire and Jackson played a key instrumental part in letting the settlers spread throughout the lands like locusts. Was Jackson's outlook on Indian removal just a way to initiate ethnic cleansing, was he looking into the future at how large the U.S. Could eventually become and could he have possibly been trying to show Britain how strong and expanded the U.S. Became without Britain, or did he feel the Indians would eventually die out if not removed?

Regardless, Although different agreements and acts were in place to promote Indian Removal, and it was believed to help the the Indians, these ideas constructed by Jackson and his abolitionists did not go as swiftly and smooth as had hoped. Death, sickness, violence, and forced removal took place throughout the course of the Indians being relocated. The Indians who remained civilized and The

Indians who were removed both suffered for many years to come and it is a blemish on the history of the United States.

It is a sad fact that the fighting between the White settlers and the Indians had gone on for so very long. Both sides had taken part in savage acts and murder, and treaties were broken by both sides as well. Although Jackson said he did not dislike Indians, in fact he liked many of them, he felt like the two cultures would never be able to intertwine. ( Native Americans 281) Jacksons intentions for the

Indians, I believe may have not have been as cruel as they seemed. This was a brutal time in the history of America. I think Jackson may have had to be a bit of a savage himself in order to get ahead and accomplish what he wanted politically. However, removing the Indians, and even trying to make them part of the White society was not as easy as he professed it would be in his speeches to Congress. Many of the White settlers seemed to provoke the Indians, and wanted them to completely abandon their entire way of life. It left many Indians feeling displaced, turning to crime, and this gave many of the

White people what they wanted, proof that the Indians were savage. Although both the White

Americans, and the Native Americans suffered because of battles, murder, and trying to live together, it was pre-dominantly the Indian culture that lost out on so much. Their race was scattered, many were killed in battle, many lost their way of life and culture, and many died and lost loved ones while being removed. Once removed, they had difficulty in their new land. Creating a government, fighting amongst themselves, and trying to live off their new land, were a few of the new struggles they faced.

One might ponder, Did Jackson ever sit and reflect on what became of the Indians, and if so did he feel regret? Jackson got what he wanted, the Indians removed, and the United States was moving, building, and becoming powerful with more technology. These were all issues that were important to Jackson.

He was a tenacious man, that didn't take, “No,” for an answer and one look from his face could silence an entire room. ( Hist Chan) Upon his deathbed, he proceeded bid goodbye to his same two slaves that had helped bury his wife several years prior. After he passed, the two slaves turned to each other and one said, “ Do you think Mr. Jackson is is heaven?”

The other slave turned and replied, “ If Mr. Jackson wants to go to Heaven, who's a gonna stop him?!” (Hist Chan)

It is true that in many ways Andrew Jackson was a remarkable man, a valiant warrior, and a natural born leader. He has been looked at as a hero, and without his win against the British, the United

States may not even be here right now. His love for his country and people seemed insurmountable, and that is why he has been put on our twenty dollar bill. It is ironic that this hero will be remembered for perhaps saving the United States, yet tainting it as well and that our hero has been compared to the late

Hitler. Nobody will ever know what truly went through the mind of Andrew Jackson concerning

Indians, but it is safe to say that he orchestrated a version of his own genocide on the Native American people, whether he knew it or not.

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