The Axe Effect

The Axe Effect

Renaldo Russell
HIST 2111 Section 3

The Cherokee Removal: Why So Cruel and Inhumane?

How would you feel if someone came into your home, told you to pack your things, and to get out so they can move in? This is exactly what happened to the Native Americans during the Cherokee Removal. My question is, why was this done? Better yet, why was it done in a cruel and inhumane way? The forced removal resulted in our great nation growing and developing to what it is now, but many forget the sad story of the natives. America is the most powerful, prosperous country on the face of the Earth, but it has a dark past which many are unaware of or just choose not to pay attention to. In my opinion, besides enslaving Africans, the Cherokee Removal is the cruelest event in our nation’s history.
Before British settlers landed in the New World, many Native Americans tribes scattered across the land lived uncomplicated, peaceful lives. But after the British started to settle along the east coast of the New World, expansion began, challenging native tribes for rights to the land. English settlers had more advanced weaponry than the natives did, and this advantage helped English seize lands from them. The Natives of course did not go without a fight. This led to many wars such as the Chickamauga war, the Northwest Indian war, the Battle of Tippecanoe, and the long and costly Second Seminole war. As our nation grew, conflicts with the natives were a never ending issue.
The rapidly expanding population of the United States early in the 19th century created tensions with Native American tribes located in the borders of the different states. While state governments did not want independent Indian tribes within state boundaries, Indian tribes did not want to relocate or to give up their distinct identities. The Cherokees, called one of the “five civilized tribes” because of their success in war against the English settlers, was one of the main tribes against relocating out of...

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