President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States between 1829 and 1837. As a president, he had a tough and aggressive personality, though he was still famous even before he became president. He was elected as a president in 1828 and acted to represent the common man. He strengthened his presidency by acting as a spokesman for the people. During his reign, Jackson relocated most Indian tribes to the western part of the Mississippi river by demolishing the national bank. Unlike other presidents who had reigned previously in the United States, Jackson did not defer to Congress in the making of policies. Instead, he assumed commands by his power and leadership of his party (Axelrod and Phillips, p.89).
Andrew Jackson and the Indian Removal Act
The act was signed into law by Jackson after two years of his presidency. In the southern part, states were eager to be accessible to lands whose inhabitants were the five Indian tribes. During this time, Georgia was engaged in a confrontation with Indians. This is concerning the Cherokee nation. At the same time, Jackson thought the removal would bring a solution to the crisis, but the act was very controversial. The great Cherokee nation had fought Jackson in 1788 and was now to face him at this time when he became president. Many of the leaders in this nation had education hence were civilized and had their language. They were to be expelled from their land because of the ways of their intention to fight Jackson. They finally decided to bring suit to the Supreme Court (Stewart, p. 49).
Under the new treaties, the Indians were to exchange their lands east of Mississippi with the west. This act affected both the northern and southern nations. All this was to be voluntary and peaceful, but after the resistance from the southern nations, Jackson had to force them to leave. Jackson was of the view that removing the Indians to the west of the Mississippi river would benefit them. The United States struggled with this for 28 years, but at last, a small group signed the removal treaty and the majority refused. The result was a war that led to the loss of life. Towards the end of Jackson’s reign in 1837, several Indians had been removed from their land (Stewart, p.48).
The nullification crisis, the Federal Union, and the Force Bill
The crisis came about due to issues of sectional strife and disagreements over tariffs. High tariffs were imposed on manufactured goods from Europe. This made the goods expensive hence only benefiting capitalists in the north and not the farmers in the south. The opponents of this thought Jackson would reduce the tariffs, but he did not. Jackson requested a force bill from Congress. This bill was to use military force to enforce the tariff. However, this was delayed until protectionists agreed to reduce the tariff. Both the force bill and the compromise tariff passed in 1833 and were signed by Jackson. Again, Jackson opposed the federal government that was to protect a national system (McNeese, p. 70).
Works Cited
Axelrod, Alan, and Charles Phillips. What Every American Should Know About American History: 225 Events That Shaped the Nation. Avon, Mass: Adams Media, 2008. Print.
McNeese, Tim. The Revolutionary War. St. Louis, Mo: Milliken Pub. Co., 2003. Print.
Stewart, Mark. The Indian Removal Act: Forced Relocation. Minneapolis: Compass Point Books, 2007. Print.