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Brooklyn
Social Studies Teacher
Social Studies 8
10/26/15
This is an essay I wrote for Social Studies. It covers the topic of the Indian
Removal Act and the Trail of Tears, as well as several other documents learned about in class.
Was it justified or should the Indians of had the right to remain where they were?
Indian Removal
Can you imagine leaving your home and everything you know to continue your life in an
unknown habitat? In the 1830s, an official plan was passed called the Indian Removal Act. The
objective of this plan was to move the Indians west of the Mississippi River, away from the land
where the Whites wished to settle. This act of migration would open new opportunities for
settlers, but it wasnt so great for the Indians and their people. SEC.7 of the Indian Removal Act
of 1830 says, .may be lawful for the President to have the same superintendence and care
over any tribe or nation in the country in which they may remove, as contemplated by this act,
that he now is authorized to have over them at their present places of residence. At this time, the
president of the country, Andrew Jackson, had the power to move and relocate those living in his
country. Some people saw this act as a way for the Indians to hunt on larger pieces of land as
well as preserve their tribes lives by advoiding the Americans civilized governing system.
President Jackson claimed, They have neither the intelligence, the industry, the moral habits,
nor the desire of improvement which are essential to any favorable change in their condition.

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Many people did not see the Indians as either worthy or capable of living a life with the superior
race; therefore, according to most American people, they had to be moved to a new location.
One person who experienced Indian removal first-handed was Private John G. Burnett,
who was one to participate in relocating the Indians westward. He talks about how many were
dragged from their homes and forced to move west, away from all of their known surroundings.
He recalls seeing the childrens hands waving goodbye to the only home they had ever known.
Many of these people were not equipped with supplies for the rough journey, and suffered
greatly from the cold, the exposure, and the ill-treatment they received. He stated, .the
sufferings of the Cherokees were awful. The trial of the exiles was a trail of death. Another
account was that of Eliza Whitemire whose parents were affected by the removal. She showed
how many of the people who were forced to participate in this devastating journey died due to
many terrible situations and conditions. Eliza claimed that everything the Cherokees and their
slaves had to endure was horrific.
At this time, some Indians believed that by rousing their entire tribe, they could refuse to
obey the new law of migration, and fight back against the American troops. General Winfield
Scott was just one man who ordered the Cherokees not to resist the removal order, but to abide
by it. He believed that obeying was the only way to prevent a general war, where the Indian
tribes would eventually become eliminated. He knew the amount of destruction that could be
done to the Cherokees if his men were to get their hands on these poor equipped Indians. In his
argument, Scott mentioned, I am an old warrior, and have been present at many a scene of
slaughter, but spare me, I beseech you, the horror of witnessing the destruction of the
Cherokees. This is basically a warning that if they begin to rebel, all that they are going to
accomplish is death. In Jacksons First Annual Message, he talked about the fate that surly awaits

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Indians like the Cherokee people. History Alive! states, In the end, the tribes that resisted the
removal were moved by force. The Trail of Tears, caused mainly by the predicted refusal of the
Cherokee people, was a tragic event that has been remembered by all people. Elizabeth Watts, a
Cherokee woman, reported her understanding of the terrible occasion. She says, This trial was
more than tears. It was death, sorrow, hunger, exposure, and humiliation to a civilized people as
were the Cherokees. Thousands of Indians were killed for their decision; however, you may
question, was their destruction entirely their fault? Should they have been able to make their own
choices on settlementwhether to join the American government, or move away to enjoy their
own race along with new opportunities?
According to the Indian Removal Map, both the Indian Removal plan and the journey of
the Trial of Tears moved from locations all the way from central to east lands to the far-most
west boundaries of 1830. At first, Jackson hoped that the Indians own kind would persuade them
to leave the east lands. After two important tribes accepted the plan of removal, he hoped that the
others would follow. Soon enough, they realized it would take blood and sweat to get them to
leave their homes. The Indians that didnt die along the way were brought to the west border of
the territory they had since then discovered. They were moved from all over their own territory
which soon became the Americans.
Whether it was the fact that many Indians were forced against their will to leave their
home land and relocate, or the famous Trial of Tears, many people, due to their race, were killed.
Some people may have tried to prevent racism, however, many more believed that because the
Indian race was savage and uncivilized, they should not have the privilege to take place in the
Americans system of government. The Indian Removal Act made a huge dent in U.S. history

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and was the cause of death for many Indians and their people who had no freedom of decisions
due to their race.