Paired Texts > Andrew Jackson's Speech to Congress on 'Indian Removal'

by President Andrew Jackson

1830

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

10th Grade Poem
The Black Man's Burden
  • Reverend H.T. Johnson
  • 1899

Reverend H.T. Johnson wrote this poem in response to Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden.”

Pair “Andrew Jackson’s Speech to Congress on ‘Indian Removal’” with “The Black Man’s Burden” and ask students to discuss the history of American colonialism.

8th Grade Primary Source Document 1000L
Excerpt from Trail of Tears Diary
  • Jobe Alexander & Mary Hill
  • 1938

The Trail of Tears is the name given to the forced relocation of Native American nations following the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The removal included many members of tribes who did not wish to assimilate. Many Native Americans suffered from disease and exposure, and somewhere between 2,000-6,000 Cherokee died on the trail. The Trail of Tears Diary includes interviews that reveals the extraordinary resilience of the Native American nations during the trail.

Pair “Andrew Jackson’s Speech to Congress on ‘Indian Removal’” with “Excerpts from The Trail of Tears Diary” and ask students to discuss the history of American colonialism and expansion. Why, according to both texts, were these Native American nations forcibly moved?

8th Grade Primary Source Document 1220L
Letter to the Treasurer of Spain
  • Christopher Columbus
  • 1493

Upon arriving to the island "Juana"--present-day Cuba--Italian explorer Christopher Columbus wrote this letter to the benefactor of his voyage about the rich landscape and curious people he encountered in this promising new territory.

Pair “Andrew Jackson’s Speech to Congress on ‘Indian Removal’” with “Letter to the Treasurer of Spain” to show students how Columbus’ attitude toward and attempts to control the natives of Cuba and Hispaniola reflect the actions taken many centuries later by American leaders like Jackson. How do the language and tone in the two texts compare?
12th Grade Informational Text 1430L
The Rape of Nanking and a Forgotten Genocide
  • Mike Kubic
  • 2016

“The Rape of Nanking and a Forgotten Genocide” offers context for the historically tumultuous relationship between the nations of China and Japan, which has been characterized by substantial aggression and violence, particularly on the part of the Japanese.

Pair “The Rape of Nanking and a Forgotten Genocide” with former U.S. President Andrew Jackson’s speech on the subject of “Indian removal” and ask students to compare the themes of prejudice in each text. How does Jackson’s language differ from that of the Japanese officials and military personnel? Is his message still equally hateful and racist? Do you think national pride often runs the risk of turning into ethnocentrism and a hatred for those who are different from oneself?
10th Grade News 1060L
'Those Kids Never Got to Go Home'
  • Jeff Gammage, from Philly.com
  • March 13, 2016

In “Those Kids Never Got to Go Home,” the article discusses recent pleas from the Rosebud Sioux nation to reclaim the remains of former students of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

Pair “Andrew Jackson’s Speech to Congress on ‘Indian Removal’” with “Those Kids Never Got to Go Home.” How does the former inform the latter? Does Andrew Jackson’s idea or portrayal of Native Americans reflect those of the Carlisle School and its founder?
11th Grade Informational Text 1360L
The 1897 Petition Against the Annexation of Hawaii
  • National Archives
  • 2016

In “The 1897 Petition Against the Annexation of Hawaii,” the events that led up to the United States’ annexation of the Hawaiian Islands is discussed, as well as native Hawaiians’ attempts to maintain their independence.

Pair “Andrew Jackson’s Speech to Congress on ‘Indian Removal’” with “The 1897 Petition Against the Annexation of Hawaii” and ask student to compare the motives that drove the United States’ to claim land that wasn’t initially theirs. What was the purpose of obtaining Native American land and how did it compare to the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands? What did the United States have to gain and what did it lose?

12th Grade Primary Source Document 1410L
Excerpts from Thomas Jefferson’s Writings on American Indians
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • 1781-1813

These excerpts from Thomas Jefferson’s letters and book Notes on the State of Virginia reveal Jefferson’s complicated view of American Indians and their uncertain future in America.

Pair “Excerpts from Thomas Jefferson’s Writings on American Indians” with “Andrew Jackson’s Speech to Congress on ‘Indian Removal’” and ask students to discuss the similarities between Jefferson and Jackson’s views and plans for the future of American Indian societies.
11th Grade Interview 1160L
UN Explores Native American Rights In U.S.
  • Michel Martin
  • 2012

In “UN Explores Native American Rights in U.S.,” Michel Martin interviews S. James Anaya about his UN report, which details how indigenous people are living in the United States today, and about his ideas on how their quality of life can be improved.

Pair “Andrew Jacksons Speech to Congress on ‘Indian Removal’” with “UN Explores Native American Rights in US” to provide students with additional information regarding the government’s views and treatment of indigenous people in the past. How does the government’s relationship to indigenous people in the United States today compare to that of the past? How can the relationship be further improved?
9th Grade Primary Source Document 1320L
George W. Harkins to the American People
  • George W. Harkins
  • 1832

In an open letter to the American people, Choctaw chief George W. Harkins expresses his opinion about the Indian removals.

Pair “Andrew Jackson’s Speech to Congress on ‘Indian Removal’” with “George W. Harkins to the American People” and ask students to compare the rhetoric used in both speeches. How does Jackson present what Harkins characterizes as the lesser of two evils? Whose rhetoric is more effective? Why? How does Jackson’s speech help students better understand the mindset of the American people regarding their compliance with the Indian removals?