American Indian Treaties AMERICAN INDIAN TREATIES This research paper

The USG-Indian treaties played a key role in implementing American Indian policy from the time when the first such treaty was negotiated (with the Delaware in 1778) until Congress abolished the President's power to make such treaties in 1871. As the relative power of the new Republic increased and that of the Indian tribes waned, the emphasis of Indian policy shifted; however, throughout this period treaties served as the principal means of extinguishing Indian title to their traditional homelands and hunting grounds and thereby facilitated the relentless westward expansion of white settlers. Although the treaties were originally intended to and did in fact regularize and slow to some degree that flow, a combination of factors including white racism, powerful economic, political, military and technological pressures and Indian intransigence and inability to cope produced a dishonorable trail of broken treaties which forever threw into question their legitimacy. After 1871, the USG used other means than treaties --i.e. laws, agreements with specific tribes, executive orders and actions to implement Indian policy; nevertheless, in the second half of the 20th centuries, past treaties assumed new importance as a major basis for claims by various Indian tribes that their s

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n favor of removal of the Indians from their remaining lands east of the Mississippi River. Weeks said that hardline removalists argued that the Indians "incapable of being civilized, were doomed to extinction and therefore any effort to civilize them would prove futile" (p. 15). Jackson took a more centrist position, arguing that removal of the southern Indians to lands west of the Mississippi was necessary to give them time and breathing space in order to cope with the demands of modern life. According to Weeks, "Andrew Jackson saw himself as true friend and protector of the Indians, acting with paternalistic wisdom in their best interest" (p. 26). Congress passed the Removal Act of 1830 and implementing statutes in 1834 under which members of the five Civilized Tribes (Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Creeks and Seminoles) were given a draconian choice, either to agree to sell their lands or to be physically removed to the former Louisiana Territory by the Army. The last forced removal in 1838 became known as the Trail of Tears. With a gun to their heads and a bribe in the form of annual annuity payments promised by the USG, most southern Tribes entered into treaties of removal under duress. They were, however, given solemn g
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 4116
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page)

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