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explain more of Jackson
Some Cherokee leaders signed a relocation treaty in 1833, and in 1836 the Cherokees were given two years to move voluntarily. In 1838, President [[Martin Van Buren]]'s administration forced about 17,000 Cherokee Indian to move to Oklahoma. Between 2,000 and 4,000 died on the trip, mostly the elderly and small children due to disease, malnutrition, and fatigue. The Trail of Tears became a national historical site in 1987.<ref>The exact number is debated. On the official lists, 13,169 left home and 11,504 arrived in Oklahoma. Russell Thornton et al. ''The Cherokees: A Population History'' (University of Nebraska Press, 1992).</ref>
Some Cherokee leaders signed a relocation treaty in 1833, and in 1836 the Cherokees were given two years to move voluntarily. In 1838, President [[Martin Van Buren]]'s administration forced about 17,000 Cherokee Indian to move to Oklahoma. Between 2,000 and 4,000 died on the trip, mostly the elderly and small children due to disease, malnutrition, and fatigue. The Trail of Tears became a national historical site in 1987.<ref>The exact number is debated. On the official lists, 13,169 left home and 11,504 arrived in Oklahoma. Russell Thornton et al. ''The Cherokees: A Population History'' (University of Nebraska Press, 1992).</ref>
Jackson had expressed the opinion that the relocation was a generous offer to the Indians, and that they would be very much better off with the freedom and autonomy of their new territories. Private John G. Burnett participated in the forced relocation, and wrote about the great suffering that the Cherokees endured.
Jackson had expressed the opinion that the relocation was a generous offer to the Indians, and that they would be very much better off with the freedom and autonomy of their new territories. Jackson was an advocate of strong military rule that would overwhelm people (like [[John C. Calhoun]]) who disagreed with his liberal policies. Jackson rejected the pleas of the evangelical ministers because he did not feel religious motives should dictate his policies. He rejected the Supreme Court decision on the matter because he saw the preisdency as the superior interpreter of the Constitution. Liberal historians have celebrated Jackson's actions.
Private John G. Burnett participated in the forced relocation, and wrote about the great suffering that the Cherokees endured.
Evangelical Protestants were horrified at the violent removal and crusaded against Jackson and the Democratic party policy of [[Manifest Destiny]], which threatened to destroy most of the remaining Indians. The Protestants supported the opposition [[Whig Party]], which denounced the removals, and called for a more Christian approach to the Indians, emphasizing the need for morality in public policy, and the use of education and civilizing devices (like teaching Indians how to farm instead of hunt) to save the remaining Indians.<ref> Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, ''Religion and Society in Frontier California'' (1994) [http://books.google.com/books?id=SJ4PfXvvKzcC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=%22trail+of+tears%22+evangelical+protestants&source=web&ots=rGf9bR8YFI&sig=47D5fiFZFhla9XvO-NPIZZbNIoI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPA17,M1 online page 17]</ref>
Conservative scholars Larry Schweikart and Bradley J. Birzer have concluded, "The Trail of Tears is a classic example of mistreatment of Indian tribes by the federal government." They note that in 20 years more than 100,000 Indians were forcibly moved west. Protestant missionaries had appealed to the Supreme Court--and won--but President Jackson deliberately ignored the decision, remarking that "Justice Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it."<ref> Larry Schweikart and Bradley J. Birzer, ''The American West, (2004) p. 233-4. </ref>
==References==
==References==