Thursday, January 31, 2013

Indian Removal

As President Jackson wanted his policy to be carried out through his presidency, he ran into a problem with the supreme court due to the resistance of the Native Americans, particularly the Cherokees. The Cherokees who were willing to adopt the white ways were still punished after America wished to expand their land and move the Natives west. In 1830 congress passed an act which stated Indians could be relocated, if necessary by force. Supreme court had stopped this act by proving the cherokees were a "domestic dependent nation" and could not be forced by the state to give up their land. Nonetheless 2 years later Jackson carried out his policy to relocate and moved Chickasaws, choctaws, as well as the most submissive of the group the Cherokees. This led up to the Trail of tears where a fourth of about 16,000 indians died.

In 1832 the Cherokee tribe used the weapon of the white man which was law an brought the case to the supreme court, asking them to enforce theirs rights. In doing so the Cherokees were granted trade, treated as a nation and to respect their rights from Americans. One of these acts which considered the Native American lands as political communities and having a territorial boundary which their authority is exclusive and having a right to the land within those boundaries. This was guaranteed by the U.S. Although guaranteed many indians were forcibly moved and also killed. Therefore the act followed through by militaries sent by Jackson was unconstitutional and leads to many questions such as what else may be unconstitutional in the American government.

The document pertaining to the case against the Cherokees contests what we learned America had actually done to the cherokees along with other tribes.

We could use this in the future because we seen how America had gone against their word when saying the Cherokess would not be invaded. Although supreme court established this Jackson had followed through to gain support on relocating the indians.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Remember the Ladies

"Remember the Ladies." Letter to John Adams. 1776. MS. N.p.

Murray, Judith S. "On the Equality of the Sexes." Editorial. Massachusetts Magazine 1790: n. pag. Print.

In Abigail Adams' letter "remembering the ladies, she reminds her husband, much like in her title, that women are indeed important to society and most importantly man himself. In Abigail's third paragraph she mentions that all men would become tyrants if given the opportunity, without women there wouldn't be much to stop the act of men becoming these tyrants. But with women as a party of society or allowing them to be more than what they are in society would benefit men and society. Abigail claims that is rather obvious men in society wish to control females, giving them their position of "tyrant". In her last paragraph she tries to convey the idea that man and woman should be equal and it would cause less problems, particularly the idea of revolting against man. This would occur only if and when man binds women by law or are not given the voice wanted. In Judith Sargent Murray's article, she does more than what Adams had done considering her argument. In her letter she says that man and woman are both born equally and for man to treat woman indifferently is unlawful. She continues to acclaim that men and women no matter what age or sex are able to come together and each prove themselves, but because man does not allow that man will never know if women are truly inferior. As we have seen in our previous readings such as Thomas Paines "common sense" he brings up the idea of representation and such, but he never allows for woman to be represented in our government. As well as the declaration of independence which says we all have the same rights as "all men are created equal". But as we have seen men is not created equal as women are inferior to men and not allowed representation in the government and refused their education. These excerpts allow us to realize the different flaws in our developing country and how we tried to overcome these flaws. These excerpts do not limit us on much of the ideas given as it speaks for most women of its time ad we can come to the conclusion from our readings that men didn't think much of what women had felt.