The complaints of Native Americans, western farmers, and African Americans in the
later 19th century are the result of too little government action. When problems began to
arise in the West, only then did the American Government hastily find even more
disputable solutions. The government did not attempt to aid the Indians, farmers, or
African Americans before there situations became worse enough to definitely need
fixing. Also when the government made their decisions, they were only beneficial for
one side and not the other. All that the Indians, farmers, and African Americans wanted
were their own shares of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the natural rights
When President Andrew Jackson applied the Indian Removal Act, he believed
that the lands west of the Mississippi would permanently remain "Indian country." But
this was proven false as wagon trains rolled westward on the Oregon Trail. Also plans
for a transcontinental railroad were in progress. Because the national government took
"little" into consideration of the future of the Indian Removal Act, more problems arose.
The federal government began to assign the plains tribes large tracts of land, or
reservations. However, most already-settled Indians did not even consider migrating
again. Hundreds of tiny wars sprung up, especially with the Sioux, due to the
government's neglect to view all consequences of its actions.
"...the troops were sent into our country, and the troops killed our people
and ill treated them, and thus war and trouble arose; but before the troops
were sent there we were quiet and peaceable, and there was no
disturbance..."Chief Red Cloud Speech
Jackson should have never sent the Indians west because he did not regard the future
whereabouts of the Native American peoples. In reaction to the interruption of peace,
Congress tried to break up tribal organizati...