Essay On Cherokee Removal

In the 1820s and 1830s, the Cherokees had to figure out whether they would stay or leave from their land in Georgia because the United States wanted Cherokee land. Historians today still debate about whether the Cherokees should have stayed or left. Cherokee representatives believed that the United States will let them stay, while Boudinot believed that they should leave otherwise the United States would force them out in a violent way.
One reason why removal offered the best chance for Cherokee survival is that if they stayed, they would lose their Cherokee civilization. On October 2nd, 1832, Elias Boudinot wrote, “The states’ control over the Cherokee government will stop their progress and it will also completely destroy everything and civilization …show more content…
On October 2nd, 1832, Elias Boudinot wrote, “We must think about the fate of our poor brothers, the Creeks. Their experience was enough warning to all of those who want the Cherokees to stay and follow the laws of the United States.” Boudinot is saying that what happened to the Creeks was a warning about what could happen to the Cherokees next. This quote shows that they will have a better chance of survival if they leave, because settlers will not kick them out and steal their homes, and they will leave in a much less violent way. Boudinot is convincing because the Creeks lost their land right before Boudinot wrote this letter in 1832.
On the other hand, some believed that staying offered the best chance for Cherokee survival because some Cherokees felt as if the U.S. will protect them. In December 1829, the representatives of the Cherokee Nation wrote: “In addition, treaties made at various times gave us the faith and promise of the United States.” But, there is a problem with their thinking, because the U.S. continues to cancel their treaties. A reason why the Cherokee representatives are not convincing is because the treaties with the U.S. government have continued to be