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Congressman: Indian Removal, 1830
| 1828 | Andrew Jackson wins the presidential election. |
| 1829 | Crockett is reelected to the House of Representatives in the 21st Congress. |
| 1830 | Crockett voices his disapproval of the Jackson Administration's Indian Resettlement Act, which provides for the removal of Indians to territory west of the Mississippi River. Crockett supports the Pre-emption Act, which grants settlers the right to purchase, at $1.25 per acre, 160 acres of public land that they have cultivated for at least 12 months, offering "squatters" some protection against speculators. |
Student Reading
The 20th Congress convened on December 3, 1827. Among its newest members was the Honorable David Crockett. A year later, Andrew Jackson won the presidential election. While Crockett still generally claimed to be a Jackson supporter, he carefully stated the limits of his political loyalty. "I was willing to go with General Jackson in every thing that I believed was honest and right," stated Crockett, "but further than this, I wouldn't go for him, or any other man." After years as a Democratic Jacksonian, Crockett broke ties with the president and later became a member of the Whig Party.
Crockett's greatest conflict with the Jacksonians concerned the Indian Resettlement Act of 1830, which was designed to move many of the southeastern tribes west of the Mississippi River. "I voted against this Indian bill, and my conscience yet tells me that I gave a good and honest vote, and one that I believe will not make me ashamed on the day of judgment," wrote Crockett in his autobiography.
More than on any other piece of legislation, Crockett's position on the Indian Resettlement Act reflected his principled character. As a veteran of the Creek Indian War, one would assume that Crockett was not sympathetic to the indigenous people of the American Southeast. Furthermore, his grandparents had been killed by Indians during the Revolutionary War.
But Crockett thought that forcing the Indians to move was morally wrong. All of the western congressmen and nearly all of Crockett's constituents favored Indian Removal. Nevertheless, Crockett stood up for the unpopular cause because he thought he was right. Despite Crockett's opposition, the Indian Resettlement Act passed.
Watch this video clip from The History Channel's Boone and Crockett: The Hunter Heroes. Write down at least one fact you learn that is not included in the Student Reading. According to the documentary, why did Crockett oppose the Indian Resettlement Act of 1830? The documentary shows hands clapping for Crockett. Whose hands are they supposed to be?
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