Jackson the Indian Exterminator

When many think of Andrew Jackson, they think of the incredible man that helped expand our nation and truly developed American capitalism. When I think of Andrew Jackson, I think of a man that did expand our nation but was also a heartless exterminator of Indians. Jackson, well known for winning the battle of Horseshoe Bend during the 1st Creek War in Georgia, implemented a treaty with the Creeks after he won the battle which broke the Creeks’ land into communal landholdings. Despite Congress having power over American expansion due to the Indian Trade and Intercourse Act, Jackson ignored this and favored state and individual action. For example, he actively encouraged white squatters to take Creek land, told the Indians they had to cede land, and was notorious for bribery. The Indians, defrauded of their land, were starving due to their refusal to go West. This began raids of white farms by groups of starving Creeks and resulted in many white retaliation attacks. This led to the Second Creek War, which resulted in the killing of many Creeks and ultimately the US military forcing of the Creeks to go West.

Similarly in Florida, Jackson began raids on the Seminole land. He did this under the guise of paternalism and also as an attempt to get back the escaped blacks who had taken refuge in Seminole villages. This resulted in the Seminole War of 1818 and eventually in the annexation of Florida. He constantly referred the Indians as his "red children" and stated that he was taking these actions in an attempt to civilize them. The real motives for Jackson however was his idea that Indian removal was necessary for capitalism and the opening of the American economy.

Also in Georgia, Jackson favored state action regarding the Cherokees. After gold was discovered on Cherokee land, thousands of whites invaded that land. Jackson refused to interfere as it would “interfere” with Georgia’s authority. He actively supported processes of tribal disintegration such as the killing of the buffalo and the selling of alcohol. Despite the fact that the Cherokees modernized and seemingly fit the perception of what it meant to be American, for example many had slaves and they even had their own newspaper, Jackson advocated for laws that he thought would force them to move. For example, there were laws passed by Georgia that essentially took away all their rights such as the lack of ability to testify against a white person and the prohibition of being able to mine for the gold on their own land. Additionally, in Worcester v Georgia the Supreme Court voted in favor of an a white man being allowed to be on Indian land, and Jackson refused to enforce the ruling. Eventually, the Indian Removal Bill was passed by the Congress at the outrage of the North and the Cherokees were forced to leave on the “Trail of Tears” in which thousands of them died.

Ultimately, 70,000 Indians east of the Mississippi were forced westward whether it was due to abusive state laws or invasion/harassment by whites on their land. There is a major misconception that the white frontiersman were the driving force of Indian extermination and removal; however, the main force was Jackson and the capitalist federal government.

Sources:
Zinn, Howard, and Anthony Arnove. A People's History of the United States. Harper, an Imprint of             HarperCollinsPublishers, 2017.