The removal of American Indian tribes from lands east of the Mississippi River to what is now the state of Oklahoma is one of the tragic episodes in American history. Early treaties signed by American agents and representatives of Indian tribes guaranteed peace and the integrity of Indian territories, primarily to assure that the lucrative fur trade would continue without interruption. American settlers' hunger for Indian land, however, led to violent conflict in many cases, and succeeding treaties generally compelled tribes to cede large areas to the United States government.
The possible lasting effects the removal to reservations had on the various native American tribes may be positive after all.
Explanation:
The history of Indian removal from their lands is tragic and tainted with violence. The tribes had to go through a painful process when dealing with the British colonists that, according to the Manifest Destiny theory, believed it was their divine right to occupy those lands. However, we may hypothesize that these events only made their practice, beliefs and culture in general so much stronger because they were forced to stay united and resist. The saying "<em>what doesn't kill you makes you stronger</em>" may come in handy here since this is exatcly what could have happened to them. So even though many of them died, the ones who survived became so much stronger and determined to not let anyone, especially the British and their efforts to abolish their practice, put an end to their culture.
