them. In 1828 Congress passed the Indian Removal Bill which forced the Indians in the south to relocate or "be subjected to state laws." This Bill was strongly opposed by the north while it was supported by the south. The Bill, which barely passed it both House and Senate, was a support for the popular distribution of fertile Indian lands. The United States government was lured into the relocating of the Indians because it offered more farmland for southern farmers. As far as the actual relocation went, the task of relocating the Indians fell into the hands of the Army, who then mostly signed the task off to contractors. Indian attempts at conforming were futile and quickly crushed. When the Cherokees Americanized their tribe and converted to "the American Way" the state of Georgia quickly went in with militias and forced them along their way. Various tribes of Indians fought on the side of the United States against their Indian brothers in return for promised protection against removal, government promises proved to be false. The government (behind the lead of Jackson) sent a sign that it wanted the Indians to leave, and not conform. The US government was quick, behind its powerful Executive, to turn an eye. In 1832 militia regiments from Georgia went onto Cherokee lands and imprisoned 4 missionaries whom they later released upon them swearing oath to the state of Georgia. Later, the same militia imprisoned 10 missionaries and sentenced them to four years hard labor. Their case (based on a treaty with the Cherokee years prior) was appealed to the US Supreme Court where John Marshall upheld their case (see Worcester v. Georgia). The state of Georgia never released them from imprisonment and Jackson never intervened. The government also turned a blind eye when dealing with treaties that were previously agreed to with the Indians. In 1791 the Cherokee nation acknowledged themselves to be under the protection of...
