Andrew Jackson has received the name 'Indian Killer'. As the seventh president and a wealthy slave owner, he was the major proponent of Indian removal. His massacring and political strategies against Indians lasted both his presidential terms and well before that.
Before he was a president, Andrew Jackson was a military general. During that time, he wiped native population in the Alabama and Georgia territories. The Creek tribe lost 23 million acres of land due to his westward expansion. He also advocated the killing of women and children to completely exterminate the population. Despite the great atrocities committed before his political career, his most infamous doings against natives occurred as president.
The Indian Removal Act, one of the most harmful acts against Native culture, was quickly pushed by Jackson. This removed all Natives and pushed them west of the Mississippi. Thus, the Trail of Tears was formed. over a hundred thousand Indians, all forced westward on a journey that proved deadly for many. When the natives refused to leave, Jackson sent in the military to force them out. Marched more than 1,000 miles natives suffered from dysentery, cholera, whooping cough, and most obviously starvation. It is estimated that over 5,000 Cherokees died along the trail.
Jackson's devastation of Native Americans lasted well over 20 years (including military service). While much of Jackson's administration was beneficial for America and strategically admirable, his persecution of Native Americans will taint his legacy forever.
https://thehermitage.com/learn/andrew-jackson/president/presidency/
https://millercenter.org/president/jackson/life-before-the-presidency
https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/history/people/indian-killer-andrew-jackson-deserves-top-spot-on-list-of-worst-us-presidents/
You couldn't have hit it more on the nail Drew. Andrew Jackson was arguably the worst president in American history because not only was he absurdly racist, but he also had a cabinet that was filled with unqualified friends. His "Kitchen Cabinet" was a group of wealthy crooks that served as his advisers, creating the "spoils system," where these advisers would profit off of the Us government's behaviors and actions. Although nowhere as awful as his behaviors towards Native Americans, his cabinet and political actions in the executive branch were also horrible too.
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It seems his prejudice against Native Americans was amplified by the fact that at the time, it was supported by the public. His actions towards Indians also relates to the supreme court case Worcester v. Georgia, in which it explained that only the Federal Government could deal with Indian Tribes. However, Jackson sided with Georgia and allowed them to evict the Indians living on their lands. This both emphasizes his intense dislike of Native Americans and his siding with state rights.
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