The Important Events in the History of the United States

One of my favorite examples of different opinions being voiced socially that represented a larger issue in American Stories is the exchange of toasts at a dinner party in 1830: “…Jackson rose and made a toast to the Union: ‘Our Union: it must be preserved.’ Wild-eyed John C. Calhoun, the vice president, followed with a toast to the states’ rights: ‘The Union: next to our liberty, the dearest'” (Ripper, 190-191). Not only is this passage comical, but it also gives an example of early voicings of the conflict that eventually drove the United States apart.

In this instance, Andrew Jackson represents the Union north and John C. Calhoun represents the Confederate south. Jackson stressed the essentiality of the unity of the states, while Calhoun implied that unity would come second if it prevented individual states from their rights. Although this 1830 exchange didn’t cause the Civil War, it represented the ideas that did.

Another good example of shared communication having a large impact on America in this unit is the Indian Removal Act and all the legal battles surrounding it There were five main Indian nations in Southeast America Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Creek (Stock).

There were some different opinions throughout these nations about how to deal with Americans. Many Native Americans adopted white culture; marrying whites, converting to Christianity, learning English, farming European style, and in some cases even owning slaves. Others resented the encroachment on their lands. Many simply wanted peaceful negotiations to be made, especially the Cherokee Indians.

Get quality help now

Writer Lyla

Verified

Proficient in: America

5 (876)

“ Have been using her for a while and please believe when I tell you, she never fail. Thanks Writer Lyla you are indeed awesome ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

The Cherokee in Georgia often took legal action to protect their land. In 1827 they adopted a formal constitution and declared themselves a sovereign nation, but the State of Georgia refused to recognize this. The Cherokee managed to bring the matter to the Supreme Court, where they promptly lost the case. But they continued to fight, most notably when John Ross, chief of the Cherokee nation, constantly petitioned for his people’s right to land. However, not all Cherokee wanted to fight against the U.S. government. John Ridge and Elias Boudinot, two other Cherokee leaders, wanted to comply with the Indian Removal Act, seeing it as the safest option. Ridge, Boudinot, and others signed the Treaty of New Echota, which ceded Cherokee land to the U.S. government in exchange for land west of the Mississippi. In the end, approximately two thousand Cherokee moved west voluntarily, and the rest were eventually forced out.

Work Cited

1. “Andrew Jackson Signs the Indian Removal Act: May 28, 1830.” Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History, edited by Jennifer Stock, vol. 6: North America, Gale, 2014. U.S. History in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/DLUFPR822887069/UHIC? urever87615&xid=0e1d0887. Accessed 30 Nov. 2017.