Indian Removal Act Of 1830 Dbq Essay

A Shameful Part of American History The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was America’s first attempt to legally remove Native Americans from their land. This primary source was created by the Senate and House of Representatives, and it was backed by President Andrew Jackson. Passed on May 28th, the act allowed the for the relocation of Natives west of the Mississippi River. This order was a result of Manifest Destiny which was the belief that it was the United State’s God-given right to expand westward. The main idea of this legislation was to acquire more land in order to satisfy the southerners hunger for expansion. In the text, it stated, “nations of Indians may choose to exchange the lands where they now reside, and remove there”. Essentially,

It was making the argument that it best for them to move further west. The new land was meant to help small farmers and plantation owners. In addition, It was a reaction to the emerging Cotton Revolution. “The rise of cotton, and the resulting upsurge in the United States’ global position, wed the South to slavery” (American Yawp 11). Therefore, Southerners wanted more land so that they could expand slavery and more greatly profit from the cotton production. It persuaded that new territory would help the American economy grow. The author’s tone was very strong-willed. It began very clear-cut but it became very amiable when it discussed the incentives for moving. It was stated that “aid and assistance may be necessary for their support and subsistence for the first year after their removal”. Clearly, the American Government was trying to bribe them by compensation them for moving. However, they tried to make it be seen in a good light. Nonetheless, this report serves as a firm stance that the Native Americans will be moved voluntarily or forcibly. Thus, all the kind gestures were merely theatrics so that the government did not come off as cruel to the

They used the appropriate vocabulary to persuade the orders being made, which was exceptional as it was a legal document. They utilized repetition quite frequently. Primarily, the phrase “it shall and may be lawful for the President…”. This gave the connotation that they were legalizing something that was otherwise be forbidden or unconstitutional. Also, the writer tried to communicate the notion of Indian Removal in the best spectacle possible. They sought to camouflage their selfish intentions. Notwithstanding, from it modern analysis, it was clear that they had malicious intents. They wrote that they would protect the Native Americans at their new home but and they also said “such lands shall revert to the United States, if the Indians become extinct, or abandoned the same. The sole reason for putting this was that they were probably secretly wishing the Indians ill. There was bias in this legislation because the Native Americans had no say in it. The language employed is formal. The language was proper because it was a legal document. Furthermore, they did not use any of imagery in this piece. Moreover, this event exposed the government for deliberately uprooting Natives’