Rewriting History

By: Mahlon Martin

During the 1830s the government wanted to move the Indians out of their land to grow crop and use the land for their own reasons. This was a horrible thing to do, but to keep people from seeing it that way President Andrew Jackson said that the Indians would get in the way of progress. He also stated that he was protecting the Indians from the European ways and it was for the good of the Indians. With this the president made the Legislature branch see his side of things and gave it legal merit. As a result of this the Indian tribes of Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees, Creeks, and Seminoles were all moved to the land which is now Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears. This could have easily been handled in a better way by uniting with the Indians and have a peaceful coexistence, in which both sides could have prospered.

Instead of following behind Andrew Jackson, the Congress should have followed behind Congressman Davy Crockett. Davy wanted to bring the American Indians and the European Americans together and have peaceful coexistence. He believed that the economy could have prospered more because the Indians already knew the land and was growing crops. His policy was to learn from the Indians and see what they had to offer and in return they could show the Indians what they had. The Indians could join the states and become a part of the government and have a say just like everyone else.

Instead of passing the Indian Removal Act, Congress should have passed the Indian and European American Merging Act. With this act the American Indians and the Europeans could peacefully coexist without any trouble. They could intermarriage, create an American Indian state, and the Indians could be a part of the government and Congress. There would be no racial discrimination of any kind and the two races could learn different things from each other.

In the long run the Native Americans and the U.S. government could have gotten a long extremely well. Both groups could have learned important things from each other to better improve their everyday lives and even the survival of the two groups. This would have been the total opposite of what really happened. Instead the government forced the Indians off of their own lands so they could use it for themselves.  They put the Indians through a lot of trouble and pain to get what they want, but in the long run the Indians could have helped.