scribed the degeneration of Indian civilizations in the North, and how they could never escape the depths of chaos in which they now lived. Lewis Cass used writings based on his experiences and beliefs to influence a large portion of the public towards Indian removal. Cass acted in conjunction with Andrew Jackson, a prominent figure in the process of Indian removal. Andrew Jackson grew up during the American Revolution. He witnessed his country fighting the Indians and grew up with the feeling that the Indians were "cruel, bloodthirsty, cannibalistic butchers that should be driven into submission or extinction." Jackson served in the military and as many government officials and when he was elected president, signed the Removal Act that he believed in and was prepared to enforce. In the post-war land cession period, Jackson felt that "the Native Americans were now a conquered and dependent people." Jackson felt that the government must save the Indians from extinction by helping them to the other side of the Mississippi River. As president, Jackson sought to carry out the feelings of the Democratic Party; "America as the redeemer nation destined for continental expansion," was to drive the Indians over the Mississippi, "using racism as a justification. . . for the expulsion of Native Americans." Congress met in 1829, and Jackson as president delivered his State of the Union Address. Jackson attacked the issue of Indians in the South who did not want to leave. He recognized the efforts of Southern tribes’ civilization efforts, but that he ultimately saw the only chance for Indians was to emigrate. He addressed the issue of Indians that would stay in the South to pursue their new horticulture techniques. For those who remained, Jackson said that they could keep their personal property including fields for crops and livestock, but must surrender the land that they had claimed as their own for "no good reason." Jackson ...
