The Trail from American Indians to American Citizens Essay

The Trail from American Indians to American Citizens The Bill of Rights contains all of the basic rights endowed to all American citizens. For the purpose of our argument we will consider the Indians of the 19th century as American citizens. After reviewing the Bill of Rights it became extremely apparent that as American citizens many Indians civil rights were not only withheld, but also flat out denied and violated. Under the direction of anti-Indian president Andrew Jackson, the Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and within five years the Treaty of New Echota was formed and thus began the saddest series of events, which became known as the Trail of Tears. These events and more added to the delinquency of the†¦show more content†¦Ridge, along with 500 of the 17,000 Cherokee in North Georgia signed the Treaty of New Echota. This gave Pres Jackson the legal documentation he needed to begin unconstitutionally removing American citizens known as Native-Americans. The Fourth amendment protects citizens from gover nmental misuse of power or due process of law. The right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizers, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. Clearly relocating people is quite unconstitutional. Not only was this relocation inhumane, but it showed a chilling lack of reverence similar to that of Nazi Germany. Any type of mass relocation is against everything that the Bill of Rights empowers. For those that argue the citizens signed a treaty, they are meet with two facts. The first fact is that nowhere in the treaty were death marches at gunpoint mentioned nor slum forts housing. The second fact is that a mere 3.4% of the Cherokee Nation attended the signing. Fully represented or not the Indians were treated with utter and total disregard for the law . The U.S. Government was well aware that Ridge did not represent the majority of the Cherokee Nation but the bill passed anyway by aShow MoreRelatedTrail Of Tears : Reasons Behind The Action1648 Words   |  7 PagesTrail of Tears: the Reasons Behind the Action The march of the Cherokee Indians in 1836 from western North Carolina to Oklahoma, known as the â€Å"Trail of Tears,† is one of the most traumatic events in American history. By 1830, the Native Americans had adopted the written language of the Anglo-Americans and signed treaties with them guaranteeing their rights to their land. Although the Natives often adapted to the Anglo-American ways of life and many Natives converted to Christianity, the relationshipRead MoreThe Sorrow of the Trail of Tears Essay1527 Words   |  7 Pagesnot the very basis for leaving Europe, and coming to the Americas? 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