Westward Expansion and Indian Removal - 1480 Words

America is often considered one of the most wealthy and powerful countries in the world. The United States is associated with global reverence and respect; however, could a nation so great preserve indigenous societies continuously impeding the country’s potential growth without giving up on aspirations of success and expansion? Would our country exist as the power symbol it is today without certain actions that removed the barriers preventing American expansion and growth? Although the aboriginal people of America had claimed their land before the settlement of white colonists, the Native Americans proved an impediment towards the ultimate growth in America’s economic and commercial power. However harsh the treatment of Native Americans†¦show more content†¦Though the war concluded in a stalemate between opposing sides of Britain and America with the ratification of the Treaty of Ghent, the Native Americans were the true ‘losers’ of the war, as th e end marked the loss of indigenous independence (Phillips 114). After the war, Native American morale had diminished as they no longer posed as prominent a threat towards the goal of American Manifest Destiny. However, not all Native Americans had retreated further into the West-- large tribes still dotted United States territory and continued to threaten American growth and economic prosperity promised with Western expansion (Welch 32). The Indian Removal Act, passed in Congress on May 26, 1830, supported the eager desires of Americans in allowing the access of western lands no longer in the possession of Native Americans (Kessel 371). In Andrew Jackson’s second annual message to Congress, delivered on December 6, 1830, Jackson stated that: The consequences of a speedy removal will be important to the United States, to individual States, and to the Indians themselves†¦ By opening the whole territory between Tennessee on the north and Louisiana on the south to the settlement of the whites it will incalculably strengthen the southwestern frontier and render the adjacent States strong enough to repel future invasions without remote aid. It will relieve the whole State ofShow MoreRelatedManifest Destiny Essay1433 Words   |  6 PagesManifest Destiny Westward expansion was a key component that shaped the United States not only geographically, but economically as well. The first sign of any expansion West from the original states was when Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803. The country was in need of new land in order to accommodate for the expanding population. Once the country started to expand, its power soon followed. The nation had a struggle with expanding because of the Native AmericansRead MoreThe Lewis And Clark Expedition1424 Words   |  6 Pages On May 14, 1804 in the eastern city of Saint Louis, William Clark and Merry-weather Lewis set of on the westward adventure that would change America as we know it today. Their journey began on the Mississippi River, those rapids would propel Lewis and Clark into the Corps of Discovery. Across the vast land that these men would soon travel lived the many native-american tribes. The Native people hunted freely across their western lands, lived th eir life as one with the ground they so carefullyRead MoreManifest Destiny And American Territorial Expansion Essay1323 Words   |  6 PagesManifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expansion, written by Amy S. Greenburg, deeply explains the motivation of the individuals looking to expand their settlements westward. 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Before weRead MoreThe Impact Of Westward Expansion On The United States1571 Words   |  7 Pagesopened the door to westward expansion. Thomas Jefferson purchased this extensive plot of land with the hopes of strengthening and expanding the Republic, unaware that it would have the opposite effect. Jefferson’s fateful decision to expand the United States nearly destroyed the Republic that Americans worked so hard to build. It triggered the rise of divisions amongst Americans. These small cracks continued to grow and tear at the seams of the nation. Although westward expansion between 1800 and 1848