Andrew Jackson and The Implementation of Indian Removal Act

Introduction

Andrew Jackson announced, “It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes.” As a major political power in the United States during his presidential reign from 1829-1837, Jackson himself can be seen as one of the “rich and powerful” who used the “government to their own selfish purposes.” One of the ways that this could be seen as expressed was through Jackson’s involvement with the Indian Removal Act. The United States wanted to take over the Western land that was unsettled and to do this they codified the Indian Removal Act. President Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law, which enabled lands in the West that were unsettled in exchange for the lands that Indians were already inhabiting within the United States borders. President Jackson’s intentions were in hopes that the U.S. could attain the land in the West without any major conflicts with the Indians. Andrew Jackson’s motivations for enacting and enforcing the Indian Removal Act included the gain of political power and land, which thus led to him abusing his political power through acts such as violating the Constitution (Remini, 2001).

Andrew Jackson and The Implementation of the Indian Removal Act

One major aspect of the Indian Removal Act was the fact that Andrew Jackson wanted to show how he somewhat cared for the Indians yet wanted to remove them from the land. “Jackson firmly believed that removal was the only policy that would prevent the decimation of these Native Americans” (Remini, 1981, p. 75). President Jackson thought that the removal of Indians was the only way that the Natives could be protected from being killed off; he saw it as a way to “save” them. Jackson wanted the Indians to be informed of the United States government and how they could see the government as a positive and well put-together one. “There they can learn the ‘arts of civilization’ so that the race will be perpetuated and serve as a reminder of the humanity and justice of this Government” (Prucha, 1984, p. 145). Andrew Jackson was hopeful that the Indians would be able to do well, reestablish in their new location easily, and flourish. “Jackson fully expected the Indians to thrive in their new surroundings, educate their children, acquire the skills of white civilization so as to improve their living conditions, and become citizens of the United States” (Prucha, 1984, p. 146). Overall, Jackson advertised the Indian Removal Act as one that would benefit both sides that were a part of it: the Americans and the Native Americans.

Constitutional Misuse and the Abuse of Power

The use, or rather, misuse of the Constitution and other political norms was another driving factor that showed Andrew Jackson’s abuse of power towards the Indians and specifically the Indian Removal Act. “To observe toward the Indian tribes within our limits a just and liberal policy, and to give that humane and considerate attention to their rights and their wants which is consistent with the habits of our Government and the feelings of our people” (Jackson, 1830). Many citizens of the United States had biased views on people due to their race and their desire for the country to gain more power. They sided with Jackson due to “Their racism, their decades-old fear and mistrust of Native Americans, and their insatiable desire for the land they occupied” (Wallace, 1993, p. 265). This partisan view on the Native Americans led to the United States and its citizens not understanding and therefore not taking much consideration for the Natives. The United States has certain standards such as respect for other nations; however, some of their intentions strayed far, and they lost this certain respect for other cultures. “What they and Andrew Jackson failed to realize was that they had betrayed some of their most cherished ideas about American justice and decency” (Wallace, 1993, p. 266). Jackson also firmly thought that moving the Indians would allow United States power to spread. Andrew Jackson felt that the Native Americans could learn from the United States and familiarize their tribes with the United States version of a civilization. Jackson felt that by giving Native Americans protection, this would influence them to become United States citizens. “By submitting to state law if they stay and receiving protection in their persons and property like other citizens, ‘they will ere long become merged in the mass of our population’” (Remini, 1981, p. 78). This being said, in order for the United States to gain more power, he wanted the Indians to eventually come together and be a part of the population. In order to achieve his goals with the Indian Removal Act, one of the things Andrew Jackson did was he “Misused the powers granted to him under the Trade and Intercourse Act of 1802” (Prucha, 1984, p. 150). The Trade and Intercourse Act of 1802’s purpose was to monitor trade and the interactivity between Indians and the U.S. was under federal control. Jackson was using the power he felt he had to then end up moving the Indians because he felt they were under his control. President Jackson wanted the Indians to be independent and the United States would interact whenever they felt the need to, such as for protection if the Indians were to fight back. “There they can be Indians, not cultural white men; there they can enjoy their own governments subject to no interference from the United States except when necessary” (Prucha, 1984, p. 151). Overall, in order for Jackson to achieve his lust for land and power moving westward, he had to go through some loopholes and against the norms of the United States.

Modern Parallels and Conclusion

Andrew Jackson led the Indian Removal Act in hopes of gaining political power and land, which ended up with him violating his power as the President by committing things such as violating the Constitution. A similar, more present-day example of an event similar to the Trail of Tears is the Israeli government relocating Bedouin. Bedouin are nomadic Arabs of the desert, similar to tribes, in which the Israeli government plans to move in order to accommodate needs such as for the military. “This forced transfer plan violates Bedouin citizens’ rights under both Israeli law and international law, including the right to property, dignity, equality, adequate housing, and freedom to choose one’s residence” (Human Rights Watch, 2021). Similar to what the Native Americans went through, the Bedouin are also experiencing similar forced removal at the expense of the government. Andrew Jackson was not the only one who committed such actions that harmed other cultures and tribes, as problems with forced removal are still prevalent today.