The Removal of Native American Tribes from Their...

The removal of various members of Native American tribes from their indigenous lands to that which was east of the Mississippi was a widely debated topic in the early portion of the 19th century. Morally, proponents of this action cited the fact that these Native Americans were savages (Jackson) with no rights to their land; legally, they were expected to adhere to the rights of the states and the federal government of the U.S. Those who were against Indian removal believed that legally they were entitled to their land because of their lengthy history in occupying it, and that morally their rights as people substantiated their claims to the land. A review of both arguments reflects the fact that the latter position is the most convincing. The crux of the moral argument stating that Native Americans should abdicate lands east of the Mississippi river is that they are allegedly uncivilized, and as such have no moral rights to those lands. This argument is based upon the conception that the eastern portion of the country had been civilized by Westerners, and that uncivilized people are best suited for uncivilized territory such as that found in the Western portion of the country in the beginning of the 19th century. President Andrew Jackson unequivocally posited this viewpoint in his First Annual Address to Congress in 1829 when he said that Indians in general, receding farther and farther to the west, have retained their savage habits (Jackson). This statement makes itShow MoreRelatedThe Land Occupancy Laws And The Impacts Of Traditional Land Use On The Aboriginal Community10176 Words   |  41 Pagesmainly the land occupancy laws and the impacts of Traditional Land Use on the aboriginal community in Canada. The primary purpose of Traditional Use Studies is to examine the Canadian First National and indigenous people around the world, and used in gathering knowledge about the contemporary and traditional land uses of the communities. For the last quarter of the century, Canada?s Aboriginal peoples have long documented the extent in which they have used traditional resources and lands both sinceRead MoreRacism and Ethnic Discrimination44667 Words   |  179 PagesIN NICARAGUA Myrna Cunningham Kain With the collaboration of: Ariel Jacobson, Sofà ­a Manzanares, Eileen Mairena, Eilen Gà ³mez, Jefferson Sinclair Bush November 2006 Centro para la Autonomà ­a y Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indà ­genas Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Autonomy and Development Racism and Ethnic Discrimination in Nicaragua November 2006 Contents 1. 2. Introduction Structure of the study 2.1 Scope and methodology 4 7 7 3. Racism and individual and collective