Upon Andrew Jackson’s rise to presidency in 1828, the Cherokee Nation was facing a crisis. Georgia had formulated a plan to force the Cherokee people off their land, but all they needed was federal support. Jackson was able to provide this support, in 1830 signing the Indian Removal Act, declaring his intentions of removal publicly. Despite the backlash both Jackson and Georgia faced, they had no intention of stopping until the Cherokee were out of Georgia and living in ‘Indian Territory’ out west. The forceful removal agenda of both the Georgia state government and the Jackson administration collaborated to make life in Cherokee territory so miserable that the Cherokee people saw no other option but to sign the unfair Treaty of New Echota, agreeing to
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To many white politicians (all of them) at the time, the fact that Native Americans had gold on their land when they didn’t was unjust; not right. It felt like a slap in the face to the wealthy, white planter politicians, only adding to the resentment towards the Cherokee held by Georgia’s government. However, Georgia wasn’t the only hostile governing body towards the Cherokee, the 7th president of the United States and his administration were also incredibly racist, causing them to support Georgia because they too wanted to rid the country of Native Americans. While Jackson was much less open about his disdain, he often discussed it with colleagues, once writing that he must “‘leave the poor deluded creeks & cherokees to their fate, and their annihilation,’” as found by professor Claudio Saunt. He didn’t care about how the Cherokee were removed or if they even survived removal, he simply wanted them gone for as cheaply and quickly as possible. The ratification of the Indian Removal Act was deemed
To many white politicians (all of them) at the time, the fact that Native Americans had gold on their land when they didn’t was unjust; not right. It felt like a slap in the face to the wealthy, white planter politicians, only adding to the resentment towards the Cherokee held by Georgia’s government. However, Georgia wasn’t the only hostile governing body towards the Cherokee, the 7th president of the United States and his administration were also incredibly racist, causing them to support Georgia because they too wanted to rid the country of Native Americans. While Jackson was much less open about his disdain, he often discussed it with colleagues, once writing that he must “‘leave the poor deluded creeks & cherokees to their fate, and their annihilation,’” as found by professor Claudio Saunt. He didn’t care about how the Cherokee were removed or if they even survived removal, he simply wanted them gone for as cheaply and quickly as possible. The ratification of the Indian Removal Act was deemed