John G. Burnett
Cause and effect John G. Burnett English 101 A03 February 20 2011 Analysis Essay/Cause and Effect of Removal of the Cherokees By John G. Burnett During Andrew Jackson’s presidency from 1829 to 1837, a lot of controversial decisions were made. The removal of Cherokee Indians in the 1830’s was one, and this was more a change of the national policy than a reformulation. Since the Spanish came to the New World from the 1500’s, the continent’s inhabitants- Indians, were there.
Beginning from the Washington government in the 1790’s, the policy United States used to administrate the Indians was civilization and assimilation. Under the ambitious administration of Andrew Jackson, who was in favor of Western speculation, the Indians were forced to move from their homeland by the American Army. This is where John G. Burnett really endures the pain that the Indians felt. From the beginning of the United States’ government, Indian tribes were given rights to be treated as nations, and their rights be respected according to the Constitution.
By this, the US government confirmed the authority of Indians on American land as they are the “prior occupants”, and their land should never be taken unless they agree or they lose in a war. Although the US government sounds just and fair in attitude, for years, Indians were intentionally tricked into treaties that ceded huge amount of territory to the whites, But it only took one Cherokee child to trade gold. This is what started the removal of the Cherokees. Even though John G. Burnett’s story is short, it doesn’t lack in examples of cause and effect.
Like he tells us “In 1828 and young Cherokee sold a white man a gold nugget. ” This is also where he explains the “Cherokees are forever doomed. ” To compensate their moral beliefs because of their intensive usurpation of Indian land, US government brought up ideas that it is their “duty to make new efforts for the preservation, improvement, and civilization of the native inhabitants” By 1825, the Cherokees already established schools and agriculture, rather than their old traditions of hunting to make a living, was taught.
The Cherokee, Sequoyah, even invented the Cherokee alphabet. All these were signs of civilization of the semi-nomadic Indians. The Cherokee Indians and other southern tribes were more civilized and knowledgeable; there was much difficulty for the US to take land from them, because now “they have learned to place a higher value upon the lands than more rude and savage tribes. No matter what, before the administration of Andrew Jackson, the US government was consistent on the policies on Indian tribes, which was concluding treaties with and civilization of Indians.
These policies matched their moral values, that killing goes against the nature, as well as their political interests of gaining more land from the Indians. By the end of the Message, he fully exposed his desires of expansion by advising the Indians to emigrate beyond the Mississippi or submit to the laws of those States. Finally goals were achieved, as the Indian Removal Act was passed by Congress in 1830. The journey of Indian tribes was known as the “Trail of Tears”, as countless Indians died under the freezing weather and inadequate food supplies John G.
Burnett got to witness and be a part of the American army and live it with these Native Americans. John wishes he hadn’t been so silent after all because now he must live with these traumatic deaths. There are four thousand graves that he was silent about and as he says “murder is murder,” no matter who does it, or how it is done. This is where we look back. We see that we didn’t have a fair and just government especially when you think about the “645 wagons that had suffering humanity aboard,” says John G. Burnett.
