Doctrine of Discovery and Indian Removal in Early America

1. Unit 2 Removals

2. Learning Goal • The students will understand the Doctrine of Discovery, certain aspects of the Indian Removal, the Europeans views on land ownership, early interactions between the settlers and the Indians and President Jefferson’s beliefs about the solution to the Indian problem.

3. Sovereignty of Indian Nations • The United States claims never to have conquered the native Americans. • Each tribe was recognized as a separate and sovereign nation living within the boundaries of the United States. • Indian nations elected their own officials and made their own laws within the borders of their own lands- but the US made the final decisions concerning what to do with Indian land. • Christian ethics discourages making war against another nations simply for the purpose of securing land, so the Doctrine of Discovery was formulated

4. Doctrine of Discovery • The Doctrine of Discovery gave ownership of land in the New World to the government of the explorer who made the discovery. • The doctrine made the Indians the “rightful occupant” of the land, while giving legal ownership to the European governments. Therefore the of the Indians to the use of the land had to be purchased or otherwise legally obtained. These rights could not simply be violated.

5. Doctrine cont. • The most common legal document dealing with tribal lands was the treaty. • Between 1778 and 1871 the U.S. government negotiated more than 400 treaties with Indian tribes, called nations in those documents. • Because of the Americans’ belief in the Doctrine of Discovery, all the agreements made between the government and the Indian tribes contained four specific policies • The government acknowledged Indian rights to occupy and use tribal lands. • The government offered to protect the Indians and their rights. • The government agreed to provide services in exchange for tribal lands • The government precluded anyone other than itself form disposing of or otherwise altering the status of tribal lands.

6. Discovery cont. • The Doctrine of Discovery had two main effects on Indian-U.S. Government relations • It prevented the United States from trying to conquer Indians • Indian tribes were recognized as sovereign nations

7. Property ownership • The earliest land transactions between the colonists and the Indians led to misgivings and mistrust on both sides. That was because their ideas concerning land ownership were so different. • The Europeans, particularly from England, regarded individual land ownership as the ultimate goal, a sign of success. In England, a persons importance in the community was based on how much property he owned. • The Indians regarded individual land ownership as impossible. The Great Spirit had made the land and provided it for use. In their philosophy, land was as necessary to survival as food and shelter. They used it collectively and no individual could own land. • When colonist bought tribal lands, they meant to buy it on a permanent basis. When Indians sold land, they were only selling the rights to use it for a limited period of time, as in renting

8. Conflict of Interest • As the white population grew, the need for land grew. As the need for land grew, hostility grew on both sides. • The Indians regarded the colonists as poachers encroaching on tribal ground and they began to attack frontier settlements to protect their lands. • The colonist, who considered the Indian inferior because of his lack of Christian beliefs, became more solidly convinced of Indian inferiority.

9. In 1675, a Wampanoag chief, King Phillip, led his people against the Massachusetts settlers. IN 1676, King Phillip was killed, and his wife and children were sold into slavery. “King Phillips War” was ended It had cemented white belief that Indians were bloodthirsty savages. King Phillip’s War

10. Rights of Conquest • The American Revolution and the decision of many Indian tribes to ally with the British provided additional reasons for taking Indian lands. Referring to “reparations of war” American militia groups rode west, rounding up Indian groups and confiscating their lands. • For a short time, Americans claimed the r”rights of conquest” because the Indians had been defeated along with the British. • The U.S. government returned to the policy previously held by the British government – that Indians were entitled to occupy their land, but the government actually owned it.

11. Solutions to the Indian problem • Thomas Jefferson who did not believe the Indians were Inferior people, favored acculturation and assimilation. • Jefferson believed strongly in the agrarian society, and he encouraged programs through which the Indians could be convinced to cease being hunters and start being farmers. • Education appeared to be the best tool with which to accomplish that goal, and systems were established for education Indian children. • After 1803 and the Louisiana Purchase Jefferson saw new possibilities for solving the Indian problem. He proposed to exchange land in the west for land in the east and move Indian tribes to new ground s far away from white encroachment • Jefferson believed that assimilation of Indians into the Anglo-American world was the ideal solution. Removal was the answer for those Indians who were unable to handle living the white mans way.

12. Public Demands • The War of 1812 had played a big part in creating pioneer attitudes. Some Indian tribes again allied with the British, had committed treason in the eyes of many Americans. • They demanded that the government punish all Indians and they considered tribal removal and government confiscation of tribal lands a just punishment. • This was despite the fact that Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws and many creeks remained loyal to the U.S. government. • Whites had the power to vote and Indians did not. Whites began to elect public officials who were willing to concentrate their efforts on removing the Indian from Eastern soil. • The election of Andrew Jackson as President in 1828 had a profound effect on Indian removal. Jackson was dedicated to Indian removal

13. 1.) Name one effect the Doctrine of Discovery had on the Indian-U.S. Government? a.) The Indian nations were forced to join together as one tribe b.) The Indian nations were recognized as separate and sovereign nations c.) The U.S. claims to have conquered the Indian nations 2.) Who made the final decisions about what to do with Indian land? a.) The U.S. government b.) The independent nations c.) The tribal councils 3.) What did the Doctrine of Discovery do? a.) It gave individual ownership of land to the explorer who found it b.) It gave ownership of land to the natives that were already living on the land c.) It gave ownership of land to the government of the explorer who found the land 4.) What happened to the natives after the land they lived on was discovered? a.) They became the rightful occupants of the land but did not own it. b.) They were immediately forced to move to reservations c.) They became the rightful owner of the land 5.) Circle the four policies that were contained in all of the agreements and treaties settled upon between the settlers and the Indian tribes. a.) Indian tribes gained ownership b) Indian tribes had rights to occupy land c) No entity other than U.S. government could alter the status of Indian lands d) In exchange for protection from the U.S. government, the Indian Nations agreed to move to reservations e) The Indian Nation could not trade with the settlers f) The government provided services in exchange for tribal lands g) The Indian Tribal Council would make all decisions regarding the Indian lands h) The government offered to protect the Indians and their rights 6.) Describe the Europeans views on land ownership. a.) They believed it was commonly owned for the greater good of all b.) They believed in individual land ownership c.) They believed that the Indians should be the rightful owner since they were the original inhabitants 7.) Describe the Indians views on land ownership. a.) They believed it was commonly owned for the greater good of all b.) They believed in individual land ownership c.) They believed that the Indians should be the rightful owner since they were the original inhabitants 8.) What did the early land transactions between the colonists and Indians lead to? a.) It led to distrust on each side b.) It led to a strong trust between each side c.) It led to the Indian ownership of the land they occupied 9.) What war cemented the settlers beliefs that the Indians were blood thirsty savages? a.) The British-Indian War b.) The Revolutionary War c.) King Phillips War 10.) What was President Jefferson’s beliefs about the solution to the Indian problem. a.) He believed we should assimilate them into society through education b.) He believed we should conquer them c.) The Indians should be the owners of their land because they lived there first Chapter 5 Quiz

14. 1.) Name one effect the Doctrine of Discovery had on the Indian-U.S. Government? a.) The Indian nations were forced to join together as one tribe b.) The Indian nations were recognized as separate and sovereign nations c.) The U.S. claims to have conquered the Indian nations 2.) Who made the final decisions about what to do with Indian land? a.) The U.S. government b.) The independent nations c.) The tribal councils 3.) What did the Doctrine of Discovery do? 4.) What conclusion did the U.S. government come to in terms of whether the Indians owned the land they were living on? 5.) List two facts about the treaties the Indian nations signed with the U.S. Government 6.) Describe the Europeans views on land ownership. 7.) Describe the Indians views on land ownership. 8.) What did the early land transactions between the colonists and Indians lead to? 9.) What major event is synonomous with the Indian Removal? 10.) What was President Jefferson’s beliefs about the solution to the Indian problem. a.) He believed we should assimilate them into society through education b.) He believed we should remove them c.) The Indians should be the owners of their land because they lived there first Chapter 5 Quiz