My Opinion
After learning about both the supporting and the opposition sides to this act, I have to say that I would side with the opposition arguments. I believe that the Indians had a right to their land since they were there to claim it before European settlers were. The Europeans had no right to come over to their land that has been in the tribes of the Indians for ages and reclaim it as their own. I believe that the new settlers could have handled the situation much better than they did. After all, the Americans were the ones to neglect some treaties with the Indians in the first place. They totally threw out the Constitution when dealing with the Indians. Better solutions must have existed at the time and the Indians shouldn't have had to be relocated to foreign territory after living in one place forever.
Although I don't agree with the supporting side of this issue, I do have to say their side was a little more persuasive than the opposition side. At the time, Americans wanted to hear that they were right and they wanted to grow their country as far as it could go. The supporting side said America was doing the right thing by chasing out the Indians and most Americans felt this was the right thing to do. The opposition side had good arguments, but I feel that this side went ignored during this time. No one wanted to hear that what the country was trying to do was cruel and harsh, but it was the truth.
Overall, I would have sided with the opposition during the time of the Indian Removal Act due to it lack of constitutionality and its unnecessary cruelness.
Although I don't agree with the supporting side of this issue, I do have to say their side was a little more persuasive than the opposition side. At the time, Americans wanted to hear that they were right and they wanted to grow their country as far as it could go. The supporting side said America was doing the right thing by chasing out the Indians and most Americans felt this was the right thing to do. The opposition side had good arguments, but I feel that this side went ignored during this time. No one wanted to hear that what the country was trying to do was cruel and harsh, but it was the truth.
Overall, I would have sided with the opposition during the time of the Indian Removal Act due to it lack of constitutionality and its unnecessary cruelness.