Indian Removal Act Of 1830 Analysis

Introduction The multifaceted experience of Indigenous tribes cannot simply be described in one event. The constant discrimination Indigenous people experienced leaves historians to question what the most significant struggle Native people faced since the Indian Removal Act of 1830. In summarizing nearly two hundred years of American Indian history, the main focus is broken into three main time periods. Firstly, land dispossession and treaty violations, that ultimately become the catalyst for Indian resistance towards the United States. Secondly, cultural assimilation and the process of boarding schools that threaten to brainwash generations of children and the control of their socio-economic status. Lastly, the ongoing issue of tribal autonomy, …show more content…
had recognized these people as sovereign nations with whom treaties were negotiated and set down. By 1830, President Andrew Jackson had signed the Indian Removal Act into law, heavily encouraging Eastern Native Americans to relocate and abandon their land. In the Supreme Court case, Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, the Chief Justice, John Marshall, described their relationship as a “domestic dependent nation.” Regardless of this ruling, President Andrew Jackson, in open defiance against the laws of the U.S., began the forceful removal of these civilized tribes. Even though these communities had embraced Christian missionaries and did their best to appease White Europeans through cultural assimilation, the U.S. had proved their words meant nothing. The U.S. government going back on their word was a common occurrence—their lies had shaped their relationship to Native tribes across the continent that led to great dissatisfaction, trust, and resentment. American Indians believed that land could not be sold, but that it was meant for all to share. American capitalists thought otherwise. On February 8th, 1887, the Dawes Act (or the General Allotment Act) was passed by …show more content…
The Dawes Act forced American Indians to sell surplus land back to the government, often at discounted prices, systematically depriving Indigenous people from keeping their ancestral lands. Though this Act was both criticized and supported by American Indians, the Dawes Act recognized tribal sovereignty and their right to internal autonomy. This allowed American Indians to participate in Western culture, even though they were taken advantage of throughout the 47 years of this policy. The legacy of these policies continues to reverberate through Indigenous communities, highlighting the enduring struggle for justice, sovereignty, and cultural preservation in the face of historical injustices perpetrated against Native Americans. Despite Indigenous resistance, the legacy of oppression lingers in modern day Native American reservations, leaving little ancestral land for these first communities. The modern day ill-governed reservation is a continuation of the U.S. government exerting their will and power over communities that can no longer resist settler colonialism, resource deprivation, and cultural

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