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The Wrongful Erradication of the Cherokee Indians

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The Cherokee Indians were only one of many Native American tribes forcibly removed in the first half of the nineteenth century, but their experiences have a particular significance and poignancy. The Cherokees, more than any other native people in their time, made efforts to adapt to the Anglo-American culture. In a remarkably short time, they transformed their society and modified their traditional culture to conform to United States policies, to fulfill the expectations of white politicians, and most importantly, to preserve their tribal integrity. From the early 1700’s, the Cherokee role in the United States was defined by an ongoing battle fought with closed minds and blatant disregard for rights of original land owners. For years the fight over land was the dividing instrument amongst the new citizens of a free country and the traditions of the Cherokee people were being pushed back into the west. As the United States population increased, opportunities for new land owners grew scarce. With growing dependence in Georgia on slavery and congress working on a proposal for anti-slavery law, one way they could avoid pro-slavery increase in the House of Representatives is to increase the number of white eligible farmers and to get rid of Cherokees. Cherokees and other Indians were seen as an altogether inferior race, therefore, useless to the voting count in Georgia, which sparked the idea of Indian removal. The whites, pushing for Cherokee removal, gave arguments as to why they believed expansion was necessary, most desirable economically, and why opposition was dangerous to the US and to the Indians. The opposed parties, argued that the country faced the problem of a destructive assault on Indian land and social customs caused by the continued encroachments by white settlers, federal, and state policies that Indian removal threatened to exacerbate. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson argued that Indian removal was necessary for the country’s development and security. In his view, the states already had the power to extend jurisdiction over Indian lands. He stated that Indians didn’t have the same status as US citizens and explained that, “the Indians are the subjects of the United States." To Jackson, the argument over control of Cherokee country was one of the issues that po

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