| When Andrew Jackson became a president in | | | | white Americans to gain a control over the land |
| 1829, 125,000 Native Americans still lived east of | | | | of Native Americans and control over the |
| the Mississippi River. 60,000 of Cherokees, | | | | resources that were on that land. Even if the |
| Creeks, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Indians held | | | | government wanted to protect Indians it had a |
| millions of acres in Georgia, Alabama, and | | | | lack of resources and military to protect them |
| Mississippi. The most crucial political issues at that | | | | from white farmers, traders, and speculators. |
| time were if all of these Indians would be allowed | | | | The main goal of Jackson's policy was to |
| to stop the expansion of white man and if the | | | | encourage Indians to voluntarily sell their land in |
| U.S. government would tolerate the previous | | | | exchange for new land in Oklahoma and Arkansas. |
| treaties with Indians. Under Jackson's presidency | | | | Doing this Jackson hoped that it would satisfy |
| two solutions of this issue were possible: | | | | both parties. White farmers could get new |
| assimilation and removal. Assimilation meant that | | | | farmland and Native Americans would get peace |
| Native Americans would have to become similar | | | | from disturbers. It was supposed to be |
| to white people. They would have to adopt | | | | voluntarily, however, those that did not want to |
| cultural and economic practices of white | | | | leave Jackson simply promised to destroy. As the |
| Americans. The Cherokee showed the ability to | | | | previous military leader Jackson and everybody |
| adopt. They opened schools, churches, started | | | | knew what he was talking about. During winter of |
| building roads, started to use printing press, and | | | | 1831 the Choctaw tribe was the first one to start |
| even adopted constitution. However, there was | | | | the Trail of Tears. The government failed its |
| another policy concerning Native Americans - their | | | | promises to help Indians moving and a lot of them |
| removal. It was first introduced by Thomas | | | | died from epidemic diseases that were easy to |
| Jefferson who believed that Indian removal is the | | | | get during the winter. Then, in 1836, the Creek |
| only way to ensure the survival of Native | | | | faced difficulties during their removal. About 3500 |
| American cultures. The main point of this policy | | | | of the tribe's 15,000 members died along the |
| was to encourage Indians to move voluntarily to | | | | westward trek. Those who resisted removal |
| the lands where they would be left alone and not | | | | were bound in chains and marched in double file. |
| harassed by the white men. | | | | By 1837, the Jackson had removed 46,000 Native |
| At first Jackson supported both policies but later | | | | American people from their land east of the |
| favored the removal policy as the solution to the | | | | Mississippi. Most members of the five |
| controversy. This shift happened partly because | | | | southeastern nations were relocated and that |
| of the controversy between the Cherokees and | | | | opened 25 million acres of land to white me. |
| the state of Georgia. Cherokees adopted their | | | | Jackson's removal policy can only be appropriately |
| own constitution that protected the sovereignty | | | | comprehended if it is viewed as a part of a bigger |
| of their land. However, when gold was found on | | | | course of the political and economic conquest of |
| the Cherokees' land people rushed their looking for | | | | frontier regions by expanding nation states. At the |
| it. Of course, Cherokees were not happy about it | | | | beginning of 1800's, all western nations were |
| and that resulted two most prominent cases | | | | piercing into many new frontier areas, including the |
| Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia in 1831 and | | | | steppes of Russia, the pampas of Argentina, the |
| Worcester vs. Georgia. Cherokee Nation wanted | | | | veldt of South Africa, the outback of Australia, |
| to protect their land from the intruders using the | | | | and the American West. In every region, national |
| court system. Both cases were won by | | | | expansion was justified on the grounds of |
| Cherokees and the government had an obligation | | | | strategic interest (to anticipate settlement by |
| to exclude white intruders from the Indian land. | | | | other powers) or in the name of opening valuable |
| Jackson became very angry with that decision | | | | land to white settlement and development. Almost |
| and decided to implement the removal policy. | | | | in each case the expansion was carried through |
| However, the actual cause for implementation of | | | | removal all massacring the whole native population. |
| this policy was simply a great desire by most | | | | |