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| How Andrew Jackson's Opponents Viewed Him |
One of the greatest challenges the Supreme Court has ever faced was when Andrew Jackson refused to follow the will of the Court in regards to a case involving Native Americans in Georgia. The Supreme Court took up the case that challenged President Jackson forcing the Native Americans out of Georgia and ruled in their favor. After the Supreme Court ruled on the case Jackson still defied it, knowing that the Supreme Court did not have the military power to enforce their decisions. Jackson forced the Cherokee Indians out of Georgia and into Oklahoma, leading to the devastating Trail of Tears in which thousands of Native Americans died.
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| The Trail of Tears |
Disregarding historical presentism, the act of viewing history through a modern lens, it is not hard to realize why Jackson forced the Native Americans out of Georgia. As America began to expand it was important to find a way to get rid of the Indian population in frontier territories. The Native American populace posed a threat to frontier settlers, even if imagined, and their presence got in the way of creating new settlements. As a veteran Indian fighter Jackson had experiences fighting Native Americans and was therefore more predisposed to decide against them.
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| A Map of the Trail of Tears |
However I believe that Jackson’s decision to force Native Americans out of Georgia was wrong. I do not believe it is wrong because of the way the Native Americans were treated, but because of the potentially dangerous precedent Jackson could have started. By ignoring the Supreme Court, President Jackson brought to the forefront one of the main problems in the Supreme Court’s power structure, the fact that they did not have the military power necessary to enforce their decisions. Jackson’s actions were a case where the Executive boldly trumpeted its superiority over judicial branch, which influenced future Presidents in their relationship with the Supreme Court. It is lucky that the Supreme Court is able enforce its decisions today, even if they do not have the authority to use military enforcement for their rulings.
