Jackson and the Native Americans

Native Americans, Trail of Tears

Andrew Jackson’s desire to serve the interests of the common man did not extend to African and Native Americans. It was during his administration that the policy of “removal” (forcing Native Americans to move to lands west of the Mississippi River) became the official federal strategy.

Removal efforts were centered on the so-called “Five Civilized Tribes,” the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Seminole. They were regarded as “civilized” in that they had adopted many white ways. The Cherokee in Georgia, for example, had received recognition of their semiautonomous status in a federal treaty in 1791. They had given up their semi-nomadic way and become farmers, ranchers, and cotton producers. They developed their own constitution, built roads and churches, developed a successful educational system, and owned slaves. The Cherokee refused all inducements to sell their highly prized and fertile lands.

In 1828, the State of Georgia enacted a law that gave authority over all Native American land matters to the state government. The Cherokee resisted and took their case to court, arguing that their treaty rights had been established by the federal government in 1791, and could not be abrogated by the state. The initial case was dismissed, but in 1832, the John Marshall Court ruled that only the federal government had authority over Native American lands.

President Jackson, clearly a supporter of the land lusts of the white farmers, is reputed to have said, “John Marshall has made his decision. Let him enforce it.” It was clear that Jackson would not act to block the dispossession of the native tribes.

By 1838, the policy of relocation had essentially cleared the natives from the southeastern lands east of the Mississippi River. The Cherokee were the last to go, being forced to leave most of their possessions behind, including their livestock. Their “Trail of Tears” extended 1,200 miles, from Georgia to present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee trek was supervised by an army of 7,000 soldiers under the command of General Winfield Scott. More than 4,000 of the initial group of 15,000 Cherokee died during the ordeal.

The Seminole resisted all efforts to relocate. They were defeated in a number of battles and a segment of the tribe consented to removal. The remainder under Chief Osceola retreated deep into the Everglades and allied themselves with a number of runaway slaves. This contingent of Seminole was never finally defeated, but by 1842, had been so reduced in number that it was no longer a threat. Because of their mastery of guerilla warfare, the Seminoles' resistance exacted the lives of more than 1,500 U.S. soldiers.

Removal of Native Americans was also an issue in the Old Northwest, where brief resistance was put up in the Black Hawk War.