Indian Removal: Eradicated Rights and Neglected Responsibilities

Michelle Chen, Natalia Salazar Senior Division Group Website

Michelle Chen, Natalia Salazar Senior Group Website NHD 2014 Process Paper The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was our focus because it illustrated the appalling horrors forced upon Native American tribes by the American government. We considered many other topics of injustice involving rights and responsibilitieslike the womens rights movement, the civil rights movement, and the Japanese American Internment Camps. Ultimately, we decided to focus on the Indian Removal Act of 1830 because we were interested in learning more about the time period, Andrew Jackson, and how the Native Americans defended themselves against the cruelties presented to them. We conducted our research primarily through the use of the Internet. We first researched our topic through the Internet and formed an outline including many key points of information over the Indian Removal Act of 1830 that we would focus on in our project. We found many primary sources, like documents such as the Treaty of New Echota and the Cherokee Constitution. We also found photographs and maps of battles and migrations, which allowed us to visualize the situation that the Native American tribes were in. We visited the library to conduct research from books. We found a vast amount of factual information about Supreme Court Cases, battles, and treaties involved with the removal. We also researched personal accounts of Native Americans on the Trail of Tears and life after the Indian Removal Act. We decided to create a website because we felt that it was the best way for us to represent our topic in a creative, simple, and factual way. It was the most convenient medium of presentation because we could conduct research and edit our project from anywhere with Internet

accesswhether we were at school, home, or the library. Creating a website allowed us to both work on the project at the same time, which was useful in allowing us to immediately view and discuss each others progress on the project. We had previous experience in creating websites, and enjoyed the challenge that a website proposed. While being aesthetically appealing, websites also allow the use of a variety of mediaphotographs, maps, sound recordings, and more. We created our annotated bibliography as we found each source so we wouldnt have to complete it all at the end of our research. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 relates to the theme, Rights and Responsibilities in History, because it focuses on the rights of the Native Americans and the responsibilities of the American government. The Native Americans had the right to remain on the land that their ancestors had lived on for centuries, but the United States government, especially President Andrew Jackson, seized that right. The American government had the responsibility of allowing the Native Americans to stay on their land. Although they didnt allow the tribes to keep that right, the government still had the responsibility of safely transporting and supporting the migration of the Native Americans to their new territory in the West.