US History

U.S. History Study Guide

others. Many of these victims had absolutely nothing to do with the revolt. Some historians estimate that over 200 innocent blacks were slaughtered by angry white mobs after the revolt. The state of Virginia even considered ending slavery out of fear of more revolts. Instead, they tightened their grip on slaves and slavery. Across the South, state legislatures passed new laws prohibiting the education of slaves and free blacks, restricting the rights of assembly and other civil rights for free blacks, and requiring white ministers to be present at black worship services. Another effect of Nat Turner's slave revolt was it destroyed the abolitionist movement in the South. Anyone showing any sort of support for the abolition of slavery was vilified. There are accounts where white men were run out of town or attacked by mobs simply for making statements about black rights or questioning slavery. The revolt showed that despite all the odds against them blacks could still organize and fight back. This was a frightening notion for the whites in the South. 10.7 Indian Removal Act of 1830 Jackson was determined to take Native American lands for the U.S. occupation. The Indian Removal Act, passed in 1830, gave Jackson the funds and the authority to move Native Americans to lands in the West, using as much force as necessary. U.S. officials began aggressively clearing out the Cherokee tribe from the Southwest, and Georgia took control of the former Cherokee territory. Worcester v. Georgia The Cherokee nation took the United States in a landmark case. In 1832, the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall delivered a ruling against the removal of the Cherokee peoples. In Worcester v. Georgia, the Court ruled that the Cherokee consisted of a “domestic dependent nation” with a right to freedom from the U.S. Jackson ignored the ruling and continued with the removal, supposedly saying, “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.” Without the president enforcing its decision, the Supreme Court could not protect the Cherokees, and the Cherokee removal commenced despite the Supreme Court's ruling. 10.8 The Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was the relocation and movement of the Cherokee and other tribes: including, Creek, Seminole, and Choctaw nations. They were removed from their homelands to present day Oklahoma. The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee-Creek, and Seminole were jointly referred to as the Five Civilized Tribes, because most of these tribes seemed to be assimilating to United States culture. Many became Christian, adopted written constitutions and centralized governments, intermarried with white Americans, bred domesticated animals for profit, and even owned slaves. Despite their transformation they were still treated like animals and marched away from their homes. Between 1835 and 1838, President Martin Van Buren continued Andrew Jackson's policy to send troops to gather around seventeen thousand Cherokees into camps and then force their relocation

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