Was the Indian Removal Act justified ?

1. Was the Indian Removal Act justified? By:Chelsea Park andAndie Blankenship

2. What was the Indian Removal Act? On May 21, 1830 president Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act. It authorized president Jackson to give unsettled lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for the previously owned Indian lands within the existing state borders. A small amount of the Indian tribes agreed to trade lands, but many resisted the offer too. Andrew Jackson said “clearing Indian territory” would enable the those states to advance rapidly in population, wealth, and power. The travel west became known as the Trail of Tears because of the thousand deaths along the way.

3. Current living conditions of the Natives? 40% of the Native Americans living in the United States of America live on reservations. 4-8 out of the 10 adults living on reservations are unemployed. The reservations the American Indians live on are usually overcrowded, and the head of the family is usually forced to go out and look for work. 55% of the Natives rely on “Indian Health Service” for medical care. The constrain of having to change from traditional to a more western lifestyle has measurably changes the health status of the American Indians. It created a terrible outbreak of persistent diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, tuberculosis, and cancer. There is a housing disaster on Indian reservations too. Less than 50% of Indian reservations are connected to a public water system, and it’s normal for 3 or 4 generations of families to live together in a 2 roomed house. This is the current living conditions of an American Indian.

4. Current living conditions of the Americans? 3/4 of the Americans living in the U.S have a car or truck, and 31% have 2 or more vehicles. Half of the Americans have their own personal computer, and 1 in 7 have 2 or more computers. 72.2% of American households get to eat enough of whatever food they like, 20.8% of Americans get enough of food but not always what they want, and 3.9% sometimes don’t get enough food. The average living space for American households is 2171 square feet per dwelling.

5. Was the Indian Removal Act justified? No, based on the current living conditions of American Indians and Americans the Indian Removal act was not justified. The Indian Removal Act was only was an offer for a trade of land, and some tribes did not want to leave their land, but President Andrew Jackson went and forced the Cherokees of their land. If the Indian Removal Act had not occurred, the American Indians would have a lot more land, their ways of living wouldn’t have changed as much, and their would be much more generations of Native Americans in America. The Indian Americans were unfairly forced out of their land even after winning their case at court. This is why the Indian Removal Act was not justified based on the current living conditions of the Americans and Indian Americans.

6. Congress, L. o. (1830). Library of Congress. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from Indian Removal Act: http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Indian.html Council, A. I. (n.d.). Living conditions. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from American Indian Relief Council: http://www.nrcprograms.org/site/PageServer?pagename=airc_livingconditions Foundation, T. H. (2011). The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 10 24, 2013, from Understanding Poverty in the United States: Surprising Facts About America's Poor: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/09/understanding-poverty-in-the-united-states-surprising-facts-about-americas-poor Jackson, A. (1830, December 6). President Andrew Jackson's Message to Congress 'On Indian Removal' (1830). Retrieved October 23, 2013, from Our Documents: http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=25 bibliography