In 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the “Indian Removal Act,” which authorized the government to negotiate treaties with the remnants of all Eastern Tribes to purchase their lands and move them west of the Mississippi River. In a lawsuit brought by the educated Cherokee, Chief justice John Marshall ruled in favor of the Cherokee, a Tribe that had adopted an alphabet, published its own newspaper, and displayed in every way acceptance of the American system of justice. Marshall said the Tribes were sovereign, and states—Georgia in the lawsuits—had no rights to take Indian lands. Tribes could deal only with the Federal Government, sovereign to sovereign. Jackson backed Georgia, envisioning a large “Indian Territory” west of the Mississippi River, and forcibly removed Indian tribes from the East—including Georgia. He is supposed to have said that Marshall had made his decision, “now let him enforce it!”Read Rich’s Post →
Removal: 195 Years ago and today
