- Published: October 2, 2022
- Updated: October 2, 2022
- University / College: University of Oxford
- Level: Undergraduate
- Language: English
- Downloads: 14
Jackson and the Cherokee Prior to the Treaty of New Echota, Cherokee land was in northwestern parts of Georgia amongother territories in the northern boundaries including parts of Tennessee. The formulation and the subsequent implementation of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 was the culmination of a series of cultural conflicts between the indigenous American population and the white settlers. The American land was vast, underexploited yet bestowed with various resources. The Cherokee among other native communities had mundane cultural and economic activities, which included hunting and gathering. The white settlers thus sought to introduce a civilized system of settlement. They therefore needed to secure adequate land for such practices.
The interaction of the two cultures thus caused intense cultural conflicts, which had varied ramifications. The Cherokee’s way of life made it difficult to develop ordered societies as propagated by the white settlers. The white settlers therefore tried to reform the behavior and cultures of the native communities including the Cherokee through a concerted assimilation exercise. Culture is dynamic a feature that justified the actions of many indigenous societies that adopted the new ways of life. The Cherokee did not change their cultures thus resulting in their forceful eviction from their land to Indian Territory.
The white proponents of the act explained that the removal of the indigenous community was the surest way of creating peace among them thus enhancing their prospects of settling in the region and exploiting the resources of the land. The Cherokee on the other hand endured disease, hunger and death owing to the maltreatment. The Act disregarded the human rights and privileges of the indigenous people as the whites fronted their culture irrespective of the feelings of the other societies.
Work cited
Memorial of the Cherokee Nation, Dec. 1829. Internet resource. http://www. teachushistory. org/indian-removal/resources/memorial-cherokee-nationdecember-1829
