Ifthedifferentdegrees—comparativelysoslight—whichexistinEuropeancivilizationproduceresultsofsuchmagnitude,theconsequenceswhichmustensuefromthecollisionofthemostperfectEuropeancivilizationwithIndiansavagesmayreadilybeconceived。]
TheIndians,inthelittlewhichtheyhavedone,haveunquestionablydisplayedasmuchnaturalgeniusasthepeoplesofEuropeintheirmostimportantdesigns;butnationsaswellasmenrequiretimetolearn,whatevermaybetheirintelligenceandtheirzeal。Whilstthesavageswereengagedintheworkofcivilization,theEuropeanscontinuedtosurroundthemoneveryside,andtoconfinethemwithinnarrowerlimits;thetworacesgraduallymet,andtheyarenowinimmediatejuxtapositiontoeachother。TheIndianisalreadysuperiortohisbarbarousparent,butheisstillveryfarbelowhiswhiteneighbor。Withtheirresourcesandacquiredknowledge,theEuropeanssoonappropriatedtothemselvesmostoftheadvantageswhichthenativesmighthavederivedfromthepossessionofthesoil;theyhavesettledinthecountry,theyhavepurchasedlandataverylowrateorhaveoccupieditbyforce,andtheIndianshavebeenruinedbyacompetitionwhichtheyhadnotthemeansofresisting。Theywereisolatedintheirowncountry,andtheirraceonlyconstitutedacolonyoftroublesomealiensinthemidstofanumerousanddomineeringpeople。*t[Footnotet:SeeintheLegislativeDocuments(21stCongress,No。
89)instancesofexcessesofeverykindcommittedbythewhitesupontheterritoryoftheIndians,eitherintakingpossessionofapartoftheirlands,untilcompelledtoretirebythetroopsofCongress,orcarryingofftheircattle,burningtheirhouses,cuttingdowntheircorn,anddoingviolencetotheirpersons。Itappears,nevertheless,fromallthesedocumentsthattheclaimsofthenativesareconstantlyprotectedbythegovernmentfromtheabuseofforce。TheUnionhasarepresentativeagentcontinuallyemployedtoresideamongtheIndians;andthereportoftheCherokeeagent,whichisamongthedocumentsIhavereferredto,isalmostalwaysfavorabletotheIndians。"Theintrusionofwhites,"hesays,"uponthelandsoftheCherokeeswouldcauseruintothepoor,helpless,andinoffensiveinhabitants。"AndhefurtherremarksupontheattemptoftheStateofGeorgiatoestablishadivisionlineforthepurposeoflimitingtheboundariesoftheCherokees,thatthelinedrawnhavingbeenmadebythewhites,andentirelyuponexparteevidenceoftheirseveralrights,wasofnovaliditywhatever。]
WashingtonsaidinoneofhismessagestoCongress,"WearemoreenlightenedandmorepowerfulthantheIndiannations,wearethereforeboundinhonortotreatthemwithkindnessandevenwithgenerosity。"Butthisvirtuousandhigh—mindedpolicyhasnotbeenfollowed。Therapacityofthesettlersisusuallybackedbythetyrannyofthegovernment。AlthoughtheCherokeesandtheCreeksareestablishedupontheterritorywhichtheyinhabitedbeforethesettlementoftheEuropeans,andalthoughtheAmericanshavefrequentlytreatedwiththemaswithforeignnations,thesurroundingStateshavenotconsentedtoacknowledgethemasindependentpeoples,andattemptshavebeenmadetosubjectthesechildrenofthewoodstoAnglo—Americanmagistrates,laws,andcustoms。*uDestitutionhaddriventheseunfortunateIndianstocivilization,andoppressionnowdrivesthembacktotheirformercondition:manyofthemabandonthesoilwhichtheyhadbeguntoclear,andreturntotheirsavagecourseoflife。
[Footnoteu:In1829theStateofAlabamadividedtheCreekterritoryintocounties,andsubjectedtheIndianpopulationtothepowerofEuropeanmagistrates。
ChapterXVIII:FutureConditionOfThreeRaces—PartIII
In1830theStateofMississippiassimilatedtheChoctawsandChickasawstothewhitepopulation,anddeclaredthatanyofthemthatshouldtakethetitleofchiefwouldbepunishedbyafineof$1,000andayear’simprisonment。WhentheselawswereenforcedupontheChoctaws,whoinhabitedthatdistrict,thetribeassembled,theirchiefcommunicatedtothemtheintentionsofthewhites,andreadtothemsomeofthelawstowhichitwasintendedthattheyshouldsubmit;andtheyunanimouslydeclaredthatitwasbetteratoncetoretreatagainintothewilds。]
IfweconsiderthetyrannicalmeasureswhichhavebeenadoptedbythelegislaturesoftheSouthernStates,theconductoftheirGovernors,andthedecreesoftheircourtsofjustice,weshallbeconvincedthattheentireexpulsionoftheIndiansisthefinalresulttowhichtheeffortsoftheirpolicyaredirected。TheAmericansofthatpartoftheUnionlookwithjealousyupontheaborigines,*vtheyareawarethatthesetribeshavenotyetlostthetraditionsofsavagelife,andbeforecivilizationhaspermanentlyfixedthemtothesoil,itisintendedtoforcethemtorecedebyreducingthemtodespair。
TheCreeksandCherokees,oppressedbytheseveralStates,haveappealedtothecentralgovernment,whichisbynomeansinsensibletotheirmisfortunes,andissincerelydesirousofsavingtheremnantofthenatives,andofmaintainingtheminthefreepossessionofthatterritory,whichtheUnionispledgedtorespect。*wButtheseveralStatesopposesoformidablearesistancetotheexecutionofthisdesign,thatthegovernmentisobligedtoconsenttotheextirpationofafewbarbaroustribesinordernottoendangerthesafetyoftheAmericanUnion。
[Footnotev:TheGeorgians,whoaresomuchannoyedbytheproximityoftheIndians,inhabitaterritorywhichdoesnotatpresentcontainmorethanseveninhabitantstothesquaremile。
InFrancethereareonehundredandsixty—twoinhabitantstothesameextentofcountry。]
[Footnotew:In1818CongressappointedcommissionerstovisittheArkansasTerritory,accompaniedbyadeputationofCreeks,Choctaws,andChickasaws。ThisexpeditionwascommandedbyMessrs。Kennerly,M’Coy,WashHood,andJohnBell。Seethedifferentreportsofthecommissioners,andtheirjournal,intheDocumentsofCongress,No。87,HouseofRepresentatives。]
Butthefederalgovernment,whichisnotabletoprotecttheIndians,wouldfainmitigatethehardshipsoftheirlot;and,withthisintention,proposalshavebeenmadetotransportthemintomoreremoteregionsatthepubliccost。
Betweenthethirty—thirdandthirty—seventhdegreesofnorthlatitude,avasttractofcountrylies,whichhastakenthenameofArkansas,fromtheprincipalriverthatwatersitsextent。ItisboundedontheonesidebytheconfinesofMexico,ontheotherbytheMississippi。Numberlessstreamscrossitineverydirection;theclimateismild,andthesoilproductive,butitisonlyinhabitedbyafewwanderinghordesofsavages。ThegovernmentoftheUnionwishestotransportthebrokenremnantsoftheindigenouspopulationoftheSouthtotheportionofthiscountrywhichisnearesttoMexico,andatagreatdistancefromtheAmericansettlements。
Wewereassured,towardstheendoftheyear1831,that10,000IndianshadalreadygonedowntotheshoresoftheArkansas;andfreshdetachmentswereconstantlyfollowingthem;
butCongresshasbeenunabletoexciteaunanimousdeterminationinthosewhomitisdisposedtoprotect。Some,indeed,arewillingtoquittheseatofoppression,butthemostenlightenedmembersofthecommunityrefusetoabandontheirrecentdwellingsandtheirspringingcrops;theyareofopinionthattheworkofcivilization,onceinterrupted,willneverberesumed;theyfearthatthosedomestichabitswhichhavebeensorecentlycontracted,maybeirrevocablylostinthemidstofacountrywhichisstillbarbarous,andwherenothingispreparedforthesubsistenceofanagriculturalpeople;theyknowthattheirentranceintothosewildswillbeopposedbyinimicalhordes,andthattheyhavelosttheenergyofbarbarians,withoutacquiringtheresourcesofcivilizationtoresisttheirattacks。Moreover,theIndiansreadilydiscoverthatthesettlementwhichisproposedtothemismerelyatemporaryexpedient。Whocanassurethemthattheywillatlengthbeallowedtodwellinpeaceintheirnewretreat?TheUnitedStatespledgethemselvestotheobservanceoftheobligation;buttheterritorywhichtheyatpresentoccupywasformerlysecuredtothembythemostsolemnoathsofAnglo—Americanfaith。*xTheAmericangovernmentdoesnotindeedrobthemoftheirlands,butitallowsperpetualincursionstobemadeonthem。Inafewyearsthesamewhitepopulationwhichnowflocksaroundthem,willtrackthemtothesolitudesoftheArkansas;theywillthenbeexposedtothesameevilswithoutthesameremedies,andasthelimitsoftheearthwillatlastfailthem,theironlyrefugeisthegrave。
[Footnotex:ThefiftharticleofthetreatymadewiththeCreeksinAugust,1790,isinthefollowingwords:—"TheUnitedStatessolemnlyguaranteetotheCreeknationalltheirlandwithinthelimitsoftheUnitedStates。"
Theseventharticleofthetreatyconcludedin1791withtheCherokeessays:—"TheUnitedStatessolemnlyguaranteetotheCherokeenationalltheirlandsnotherebyceded。"ThefollowingarticledeclaredthatifanycitizenoftheUnitedStatesorothersettlernotoftheIndianraceshouldestablishhimselfupontheterritoryoftheCherokees,theUnitedStateswouldwithdrawtheirprotectionfromthatindividual,andgivehimuptobepunishedastheCherokeenationshouldthinkfit。]
TheUniontreatstheIndianswithlesscupidityandrigorthanthepolicyoftheseveralStates,butthetwogovernmentsarealikedestituteofgoodfaith。TheStatesextendwhattheyarepleasedtotermthebenefitsoftheirlawstotheIndians,withabeliefthatthetribeswillrecederatherthansubmit;andthecentralgovernment,whichpromisesapermanentrefugetotheseunhappybeingsiswellawareofitsinabilitytosecureittothem。*y[Footnotey:Thisdoesnotpreventthemfrompromisinginthemostsolemnmannertodoso。SeetheletterofthePresidentaddressedtotheCreekIndians,March23,1829(ProceedingsoftheIndianBoard,inthecityofNewYork,p。5):"BeyondthegreatriverMississippi,whereapartofyournationhasgone,yourfatherhasprovidedacountrylargeenoughforallofyou,andheadvisesyoutoremovetoit。Thereyourwhitebrotherswillnottroubleyou;theywillhavenoclaimtotheland,andyoucanliveuponit,youandallyourchildren,aslongasthegrassgrows,orthewaterruns,inpeaceandplenty。Itwillbeyoursforever。"
TheSecretaryofWar,inaletterwrittentotheCherokees,April18,1829,(seethesamework,p。6),declarestothemthattheycannotexpecttoretainpossessionofthelandsatthattim...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看:
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