The Indian Removal act was passed by congress in 1830. The purpose of the act was to force Indians to move to reservations with in the Kansas and Oklahoma area. While on these reservation the U.S. Government would somehow try to ” Civilize” the Indians by teaching them the European way of life. Andrew Jackson the U.S. president at the time was very well a supporter of the Indian removal act, as he put much effort into seeing that it was carried out. At the time the U.S. Government did feel very positively toward Indians as evidenced by the Government not considering them to be civilized. Pierre Menard’s letter to William Clark http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/208236 allows readers to get a quick glance of what the removal process was like for Indians. The letter also represents how the Indians feel about the Act as evidenced by the letter including a quote from an Indian”if our white brethren had not compelled us to move from our native land, our horses would not have been stolen, and we cannot travel with our wives and small children without horses.”
At the time the U.S. Government held the belief that the white race was superior to any other race, therfore the Government believed that white settles should have the right to claim U.S. land. I belive the idea of white settlers having the right to own land was very well a decision made by the U.S. Government.
The Indian removal Act of 1830
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June 13, 2008 at 12:58 pm |
I believe you make a clear argument about the Anglo-Americans’ right to claim land. You do use supporting primary sources, but did the U.S. Government clearly state their racial bias? If so, support this with some information at the end. Right to own land has not always been motivated by race, but in fact has been a motivation for developing a civil society. The great philosopher Rousseau once stated, “The first man, who, having fenced in a piece of land, said, ‘This is mine,’ and found people naïve enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society.” This greatly supports the ability to claim land and form society, but with a Native American culture that was truly naïve to our customs and laws, this is the greater problem. Race may have played a part, but taking advantage of someone who does not understand the rules of the game is truly the most cowardly way of winning. I like your argument and good job!