Indian Removal

An excerpt on Indian removal from Daniel Walker Howe’s What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848:

White attitudes toward the Native Americans varied. Some viewed them as hostile savages needing to be removed or even exterminated. More sympathetic observers thought the Natives could and should convert to Christianity and adopt Western civilization. Whether they would then continue to exist as separate communities or be assimilated would remain unclear; Washington’s administration had assumed the former, but Thomas Jefferson had hoped for the latter (p.30)

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2 Responses to Indian Removal

  1. Nero says:

    It is interesting to read that Jefferson thought the Indians could be assimilated, because he did not feel the same way about the negro population.

  2. Fr. John says:

    It is also very instructive to note that Washington was a trinitarian Christian, while Jefferson was a unitarian deist… in short, a heretic.

    It is also pertinent to note that the first ‘inter-racial’ marriage ended in death for both parties- Pocahontas and her mate; one by “European infections,’ the other by Indian raids.

    Divine justice is not mocked, you see. The Ancient Israelites were not to ‘mix the holy seed’ with the ‘nations round about her.’ Ez. 9:2 Ezra ‘rent his garment’ upon hearing it, and was commended by the Lord (and Christ) for being a law-abiding Israelite…of which Christians are to be even MORE circumspect about sin! [Matt. 5:17 ff.]

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