Aice Us History

AICE U.S. HISTORY
Summer Assignment
• Why did people in the 1830s support Indian Removal?

People in the 1830s supported Indian Removal because they were very excited to gain the land which was inhabited by the Five Civil Tribes which were the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. However, not everyone was in favor of this Act. The Native Americans where being segregated because of their race and it was shown that the Europeans would not consider the Natives as equals nor respects their country and land. The main supporters were the non-native citizens in the South. Christian missionaries were the main protesters against this. The most recognized protester of all was Jeremiah Evarts. He attempted to convince Congress and President John Adams to stop funding the civilizing efforts.
Georgia was the state that is said to be one of the prime movers of this Act. They were in a constant dispute with the Cherokees in 1832 ultimately ending up in the U.S. Supreme Court which then became known as “Worcester v. Georgia”. It ruled that Georgia could not impose its laws upon the Cherokee’s tribal land. Samuel Worcester was a Cherokee missionary and messenger who was the Plaintiff in this case. John Marshall was the Chief Justice of this case and stated that what Georgia and the Government were doing was Unconstitutional.
A small group of Cherokees had agreed to sign an agreement of removal in 1833. This agreement was known as the Treaty of New Echota. The leaders of this group were not recognized leaders of the Cherokee Nation. In continuation, over 15,000 Cherokees, who were led by Chief John Ross, signed a petition in protest. The U.S. Congress ignored their demands and ratified the treaty in 1836. They were then given two years to migrate from the land voluntarily. By 1838 only 2,000 of the 18,000 had left. The U.S. government then sent in 7,000 soldiers who forced the Cherokees to leave at bayonet point.
Works Cited:
Indian Removal Summary. N.p.:...