Andrew Jackson's lack of positive actions and policies ultimately
forced the westward migration of the "five civilized" Native American
tribes, the Creeks, Chickasaws, Seminoles, Cherokees and Choctaws.
Jackson's failure to enforce his early promise that the migration of the
Native American tribes would be voluntary was a major factor in the success
of the forced migration, as were Jackson's repeated failures to ensure that
treaties with Native Americans were kept and that land deals with Native
Americans were not fraudulent. In addition, other legislation like the
Indian Trade and Intercourse Act of 1834 resulted in more migration out of
the area, by reducing native rights and sovereignty. Further, Jackson's
role in forwarding the forced migrations was likely motivated by a desire
for profit and land, political concerns, and racism.
In The Long, Bitter Trail: Andrew Jackson and the Indians, Anthony
Wallace describes the forced removal of thousands of Native Americans from
the American east to an area west of the Mississippi River through the
Indian Removal Act of 1830. The author focuses on how the policies of
Andrew Jackson impacted the relocation, who as a newly elected president
faced a caucus that was deeply divided over the relocation of the Native
Americans. Ultimately, Jackson became on of the most vocal and active of
the proponents of the forced removal of the Native Americans.
A professor of history and anthropology at the University of
Pennsylvania, Wallace is clearly qualified to write this history. He has
written a number of books, including the Bancroft prize-winning Rockdale
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 resulted in the forced removal of the
five "civilized tribes" that lived in the geographical area east of the
Mississippi River. The move displaced large numbers of the Cherokee and
Choctaw tribes, but also affected a number of other tribe...