The Cherokee Removal Analysis

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Jose Romo History 101 Wednesday breakout session Primary Source paper #2 Question # 1 October 28th, 2015 "There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice" Charles de Montesquieu. These words by Montesquieu seem to fit not only the American Revolution but also the Cherokee Removal. The actions of some of the Cherokee people that refused to give up their ancestral land may support the “uncivilized barbaric savages” claims of the Americans of European ancestry; however, the primary source documents in "The Cherokee Removal" demonstrate a different interpretation of the Cherokee people and their struggles as well as vindicate their actions. First, the primary source documents in "The …show more content…

She described a society in which kids went to school and learned subjects like reading, spelling, writing, geography and arithmetic. Additionally, she explained that on a daily basis after school hours were over children would have domestic tasks and adults had the role to provide for their families just like in any other American society . Although, the chief of every tribe was a male, the gender equality was closer to reality than that in American society. For example the property laws for women stated above. Furthermore, the documents in “The Cherokee Removal” help to realize that the Indians were not savages instead they were trying to assimilate into the American …show more content…

Similarly, the Indians had only two options. The first option was to leave their property and move west of the Mississippi river. The second option was to stay and most likely fight the government in hopes that it would allow them to keep their land. In the “Letter to Miss Abigail Parker” Elizabeth Taylor hoped that the Cherokee people would overcome adversity since “white people were once as degraded as them” . For those that decided to stay, their ancestral properties were practically given away in land lotteries. Some of them turned to alcohol as a way to alleviate their loss, others turned to violence. Alcohol and violence can make anyone look like a savage, which may be where the “uncivilized barbaric savages” accusations come from. Although, alcohol is not an excuse for their bad behavior, their anger can be justified by the injustices mentioned