Indian Removals

1. Indian Removals • John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, was the primary creator of Indian Removal as the answer to the Indian problem. He advocated education before removal. • He believed that if Indians were educated according to white ways, they would realize that removal was the best thing for them, especially as they became more civilized.

2. Treaty of Doak’s Last Stand • Beginning in 1818, for three consecutive years , Indian commissioners met annually with Choctaw leaders to discuss removal. In 1820, they met at Doak’s Stand, Mississippi, to discuss a treaty in which Choctaws would cede five million acres, about one third of the land in the east in exchange for thirteen million acres in the west, financial and technical assistance with moving, and annual payments to the tribe. • October 18 1820 the Choctaw leaders and Indian commissioners signed the Treaty of Doak’s Stand. • The government had promised land to the Choctaws which was settled by whites- the Choctaws refused to keep the agreement.

3. Indian Removal Act • When Andrew Jackson was elected President removal efforts intensified. • In May 1830 Congress passed the Indian removal act. This act, although calling for land exchanges with the Indians, did not authorize a forced removal. It did however give Jackson the power to push for removal and many Indians saw the inevitability of it.

4. September 1830 negotiations reopened between the government and Choctaws. Choctaws expressed dissatisfaction with the land they were offered in the West. Further they asked for other concessions. The commissioners threatened to close negotiations and reminded the Choctaws that they could remain in the East and be subject to the oppressive state laws. The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was signed on December 27, 1830. Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek

5. Removal begins • The governments counted 18,635 Indians, whites married to Indians, and slaves belonging to the Indians to be removed. • The first party of 4,000 finally left for Indian territory in October 1831. Divided into three groups, the last of the party arrived at their destination in March 1832. • 250 died on the trip

6. Second Removal • John Robb, acting Secretary of War, declared that the cost of the first removal handled by civilian contractors had been too high. He ordered the army to carry out the second removal, which again was not ready until October because of the many governmental changes and delays. • Travel was slow because the government decided that everyone who was not sick or elderly would have to walk. • Hope disappeared when a cholera epidemic struck the group. • This removal was more successful than the first removal. More Indians were removed for less money but human suffering had been worse and the death toll higher.

7. Third Removal • Preparations were made for the third removal, but news of the suffering of the first two parties had reached the Choctaws in Mississippi. Many refused to go fearing for their lives. • In October 1833, only about 900 Choctaws reported for removal, and their trip was no better than the first two. • A boiler explosion aboard a river boat killed several so that some two thirds of the group refused to board another boat. Instead they walked overland through heavy rains without adequate supplies

8. Protests of Inhuman treatment • Many whites who witnessed the suffering experienced by the Choctaws on them Trail of Tears wrote to officials in Washington protesting the inhumane conditions.

9. The Creeks were divided into two distinct factions. The Lower Creeks, and The Upper Creeks. In 1811 the Creek council passed a measure imposing the death penalty on anyone who signed agreements ceding Creek lands without approval of the council. When John Quincy Adams learned of the Creeks hostility he invited tribal chiefs to Washington to draft an agreement. This agreement called for ceding Creek lands in Georgia and the Creeks to be removed to new lands. March 1832 Opothleyahola and six other chiefs signed an agreement ceding all tribal lands east of the Mississippi. The Creeks

10. 1.) Who was the primary creator of the Indian removal as the answer to the Indian Problem? a.) Thomas Jefferson b.) George Washington c.) John C. Calhoun 2.) Who would have agreed the most about the “Indian problem”? a.) John C. Calhoun and Andrew Jackson b.) Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson c.) George Washington and John C. Calhoun 3.) What were the terms in the Treaty of Doak’s Last Stand? a.) The Indians would give up 13 million acres in the East and get 5 Million acres in the west b.) The Indians would give up all their land and assimilate into the “white” culture. c.) The Indians would give up 5 million acres in the East and get 13 Million acres int the West 4.) What was wrong with the promises the U.S. government made in the Treaty of Doak’s Last Stand? a.) The land they offered had already been settled b.) The land they offered didn’t actually exist c.) The land they offered was actually in Mexico 5.) What happened to the Indian removal efforts when Andrew Jackson was elected president? a.) It declined b.) It stayed the same c.) It intensified 6.) How many Indians were rounded up for the first removal? a.) about 2000 b.) about 10,000 c.) about 18,000 7.) How many Indians died on the first removal? a.) 250 b.) 2500 c.) 25 8.) Who had to walk in the second removal? a.) All Indians b.) The non elderly and healthy c.) No one 9.) What disease struck the second removal? a.) The black plague b.) The bubonic plague c.) Cholera 10.) Compare the human pain and suffering in the second removal as compared to the first? a.) There was less human pain and suffering b.) There was more human pain and suffering c.) It was about the same 11.) Describe the views of many of the Choctaws about the Third removal. a.) They refused to go b.) They demanded to be sent on train c.) They were happy to go to get away from the English settlers 12.) What name was the removal journey given? a.) The Indian Removal b.) The Trail of Tears c.) They Indian Trail Chapter 6 Quiz