On the Indian Policy of the United States “The greatest good faith must always be observed towards the Indians, their lands and properties will not be taken from them without their consent , and in their property rights and freedom they will never be invaded or disturbed. Thus, Thomas Jefferson describes American policy toward indigenous peoples concisely and with the grace of a Virginia gentleman. No ambiguity or contradiction appears to exist in Jefferson's words, and nothing other than goodwill toward Native Americans appears to be instilled in Jefferson's rhetoric. But observing Jefferson's brief follow-up to the above statement, "except in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress," a turnaround appears, leaving us perplexed as to the tangible position of the United States regarding indigenous peoples. American policy toward Indians has always been inconsistent. While evoking inalienable human rights, the American government has trampled on the rights of indigenous peoples to their own land, their own culture, their own way of life. While Jefferson lamented for the dying Indian race, he simultaneously rejected Indians who refused to assimilate into white society. Jefferson attempted to present a broad agenda advocating the assimilation of Indians into American society as a whole, while always keeping in mind the interests of the romanticized frontier farmer. Ultimately, U.S. policy became a unilateral decision: Native peoples were in fact neither worthy nor capable of assimilation into the white world and were therefore unacceptable. A removal policy, endorsed by President Andrew Jackson, would soon follow. To justify such suppression, the United States emphasized the disparity between white society and Indian society, regardless of the Cherokee effect...... middle of paper...... worthy of attention a whim. Nevertheless, the indigenous peoples populating the lands east of the Mississippi were astonished to find that all efforts to retain their home were met with strong and repeated rebuke. As one Cherokee woman lamented, "We will remember that our country was once very extensive, but that repeated sales have limited it to the very narrow limits we now have." Our Father the President advised us to become farmers…following this advice, we attended as many as we could. Now the idea of ​​having to move to the other side of the Mississippi is terrible for us. Lost, Theda. Michael D. Green. The Removal of the Cherokee. Boston: Bedford, 20052. Wallace, Anthony JC Jefferson and the Indians. London: Belknap Press, 1999. Pg.2243. Ellis, Joseph J. American Sphinx. New York: Vintage, 1996. Pg. 238