Stephanie Guerra
History 1700
Indian Removal Paper
Our history has many remorseful events, but the Indian removal is by far one of the more
painful ones. The Cherokees had their own land, newspaper, alphabet, and government.
However, in 1828, gold was found on Cherokee land. Hundreds of prospectors, looking for this
precious metal, came to Georgia and started what was to become known as the Georgia gold
rush. The Americans kept coming into the Cherokee lands, thus pushing the Native Americans
further out west. In1830, not long after the gold was found, the Indian Removal Act was passed.
Amazingly enough, Andrew Jackson would be the one to sign and enforce the Act even though
back in 1814 some 500 Cherokees allied with him in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and made
him a war hero. Now, in this Act the government was supposed to pay the Indians money for
their land and help relocate them. However, most Americans and Cherokees did not agree with
the Removal Act.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an essayist, lecturer, and poet who held no political office. In
1836 he wrote a letter to Martin Van Buren, who at that time was the President of the United
States. Emerson wrote this letter in hopes that the president would change his mind about the
Indian Removal Act. In this letter he chastised the president for allowing the United States to
treat The Cherokee Indians inhumanly. He also pleaded with the President to use his power to
stop this injustice. Emerson asked, “In the name of God, sir, we ask you if this be so? Do the
newspapers rightly inform us? ….We have inquired if this be a gross misrepresentation from the
party opposed to the government and anxious to blacken it with the people. We have looked at
the newspapers of different parties and find a horrid confirmation of the tale. We are slow to
believe it.” He did not want to believe that our country was capable of such hypocrisies and lies.
He also wrote, “It now appears that the government of the United States chose to hold the
Cherokees to this sham treaty, and are proceeding to execute the same.” Emerson is referring to
the Treaty of New Echota, signed on December 29, 1835 by General William Carroll and John F.
Schermerhorn, representing the U.S.A., and Stand Watie, John Ridge, Elias Boudinot,
representing the Cherokee tribe, and many others. This treaty outlined terms of a non-combative
removal. Cherokees were to be paid for their land and possessions, and had to relocate to
Oklahoma. Close to four thousand Native Americans died along the trails used to migrate to
Oklahoma which would later be known as the “Trail of Tears”.
The Trail of Tears earned its name through the devastation and inhuman way that the
Cherokee were migrated to Oklahoma. During their migration there were 3 different trails used
none better than the other. During the migration many would die, some would die of fatigue,
others hunger, and or the harsh weather conditions. The Cherokee were poorly clothed, some
had no shoes, and food was limited. Everyone had to carry their own weight even elderly were
forced to carry stuff. The loved ones that died would be buried in shallow graves without a
proper burial on the side of the trails. It is such a devastating story that many remember, even an
American rock group named Europe made a song called, Cherokee. This song describes the pain
and devastation the Cherokee went through. The worst part is that before the removal happened
Elias Boudinot, a Cherokee would play a big role in it.
Elias Boudinot, the editor of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper, was one of the Cherokees
that signed the treaty. He was a member of a prominent family of the Cherokee nation. He was
important because he believed that becoming more like the white man was the way for the
Cherokee to survive. He published a speech that he had delivered to the National Council in
1826 then later published it in the Phoenix newspaper that was called “An address to the
Whites.” In this speech Boudinot told the council that he addressed them as a Cherokee who
had become a victim of sever racism. He was very direct and supported the idea of Indian
removal. He felt it would be best if they were to be transplanted out west where they could live
in peace and tranquility. Elias thought it was best the Cherokee live in an environment where
they could not be harmed, or disturbed in any way, shape, or form.
In conclusion I think that there is a great lesson to be learned from these two men. I feel
they both meant well; one being a writer and white, the other being a Cherokee and wanting to
appease the white people, but meaning no harm. In my opinion Emerson had a heart and cared
about the Cherokee people. He wrote the letter in hopes that the president would man up and do
something to stop it, but his efforts were in vain as the president did nothing. I think that religion
also had a lot to do with this. The white men felt that it was their God given right, for white men
to control the land. I don’t believe that Boudinot meant harm for his people; although, later on
the Cherokee ended up assassinating him and the other Cherokees who signed the treaty,
apparently they felt differently. I believe that we as a nation and people can learn from history
and do our part to make sure this doesn’t happen to others. Although, we can’t take back what
happened we can make sure that something similar never happens in the future.