President Andrew Jackson's most lasting legacy involves his handling of the "Indian Problem." (Well, that and something about the National Bank, but that's not the topic at hand here.)

In fact, Jackson's so knee-deep in the "Indian Problem" that he gets credit for the disastrous Trail of Tears because he laid the groundwork for the forcible removal of the well-established tribes of the southeastern states to land west of the Mississippi. Like Dawes, Jackson thought that removal was necessary for the survival and well-being of the Native Americans.

Jackson had some pretty strong views about the American Indians and their proper place in society. In an address to Congress the same year he signed the Indian Removal Act into law, he said:

The consequences of a speedy removal will be important to the United States, to individual States, and to the Indians themselves. The pecuniary advantages which it promises to the Government are the least of its recommendations. It puts an end to all possible danger of collision between the authorities of the General and State Governments on account of the Indians. It will place a dense and civilized population in large tracts of country now occupied by a few savage hunters. By opening the whole territory between Tennessee on the north and Louisiana on the south to the settlement of the whites it will incalculably strengthen the southwestern frontier and render the adjacent States strong enough to repel future invasions without remote aid. It will relieve the whole State of Mississippi and the western part of Alabama of Indian occupancy, and enable those States to advance rapidly in population, wealth, and power. It will separate the Indians from immediate contact with settlements of whites; free them from the power of the States; enable them to pursue happiness in their own way and under their own rude institutions; will retard the progress of decay, which is lessening their numbers, and perhaps cause them gradually, under the protection of the Government and through the influence of good counsels, to cast off their savage habits and become an interesting, civilized, and Christian community. (source)

Does the whole "it's in the best interests of the Indian" argument sound familiar? Was the obliteration of Native American culture really done from a philanthropic desire to help the backwards savages? The answer is: yup. At least on paper it was. But just read between the lines when you see the words "rude," "savage," and later on, "red man," and you'll see the prejudice shining through. You'll also see the U.S. government positively salivating at the thought of all that fertile land opening up for farming. To add insult to injury, that land would develop into plantations relying on slave labor.

President Jackson ended his self-congratulatory speech by saying:

Rightly considered, the policy of the General Government toward the red man is not only liberal, but generous. He is unwilling to submit to the laws of the States and mingle with their population. To save him from this alternative, or perhaps utter annihilation, the General Government kindly offers him a new home, and proposes to pay the whole expense of his removal and settlement.

Gee, and the red man didn't even say "thank you."