1980 Ap American Dbq

AP American 1980 DBQ Andrew Jackson’s presidency from 1829 to 1837 the decision to remove the Cherokee Indians to land west of the Mississippi River was made. This was more a change of the national policy rather than a reformulation of it. Since the Spanish came to the New World in the 1500’s, the Natives, were there.

Starting with Washington’s administration in the 1790’s, the United States’ policy was to civilize the Natives and assimilate them into society. Under the administration of Andrew Jackson, who was in favor of Western speculation, the Natives were forced to move from their homeland.There was a change, not a reformulation regarding political ideas and the ideas of the American Constitution that were part of the decision made by Jackson. Before Jackson the Native Americans were “allowed” their land but Jackson changed this policy for a racist agenda. The Indian Removal Act of 1830, which evicted the Native Americans, was a change that had not been in place with the Native Americans before (Docs.

A, H). The treaties brought about no benefit. Before Jackson’s administration there had been agreements made between the Cherokees and the federal government (Doc. E).Jackson changed the idea of having treaties by saying the “treaties with Indians are an absurdity” (Doc.

H). Instead of compromise Jackson wanted domination, a clear change in policy. The Intercourse Act, a constitutional law, protected the rights of the Indians (Doc. D). In the case of Cherokee Nation V.

Georgia the Cherokees lost the case and therefore lost their protection. However, it can be argued that even if the Cherokees had won the case, Jackson still would have removed them from their land. Jackson had no respect for John Marshall’s decisions and, therefore, showed little respect for the Constitution.The Native Americans were no way a threat to the U. S. , nor were they savages.

They were like the Americans in that they owned nice houses (Doc. L), were educated, farmed, many were Christian, and some were slave owners. Their constitutional republic was even modeled after the United States. John C.

Calhoun even wrote in a letter to Henry Clay in 1820, he said that the Native tribes “appear to be making gradual advances in industry and civilization” (Doc. J). From the beginning of the United States, Native Americans were given rights to act as independent nations, and those rights were to be respected by following the Constitution.For example, Henry Knox, the Secretary of War in 1789, wrote to President George Washington, “The Indians, being the prior occupants, possess the right of the soil. It cannot be taken from them unless by their free consent, or by the right of conquest in case of a just war,” (Document B).

Because of this, the US allowed the Natives on American land their independent nations as they were the “prior occupants,” and their land should’ve never be taken unless they agreed to it or they were to lose it in a war.Although the United States’ policy sounded fair, for many years, the Natives were intentionally tricked into treaties that gave up huge amount of territory to the whites. Jackson’s administrational decision to remove the Cherokee Indians was a change encompassing moral, political, constitutional, and practical changes, disregarding prior administrations’ concerns for his personal agenda. He passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 which evicted the Native Americans from their land, which angered them and could have brought about fighting.The Indians were further irritated when they tried to sue in Federal Court but were denied in Cherokee Nation Vs. Georgia.

They were more satisfied when they won the Worcester vs. Georgia case. The Native Americans were at peace with the prior Administration and were happy with their land. When Jackson took office, the Native Americans were forced to move out of their homeland to lands west of the Mississippi, which was not something that would have been done in the previous administrations.