On this day in history, then President of the United States Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This would set into motion the infamous “Trail of Tears,” which ultimately killed countless native Americans as they moved west, by order of the Commander in Chief and the military. They had inhabited the southern states for years, because of the fertile soil and the warm climate. When I think of the injustice these original natives of our country had to endure, because of man’s greed and opinion that the white man was superior to other ethnicities and races, it angers me. It may be that I have some native blood in my DNA. My maternal grandmother was the child of immigrants from Sweden, France, and Canada. I have not done an ancestry search and have no documentation stating that this is true, but in the time that grandma was born, people were entering the United States from other lands. Fur trades were established by the French and English. She could well have been part of the many intermarriages that occurred during that time. Even if she held no Native American blood, she certainly would’ve heard about the western migration imposed by Jackson through this egregious act. In fact, this act of one race against another, set the stage for future discrimination.

Not only did Jackson have negative feelings about the first inhabitants of this land, he also was a slave owner who worked his cotton fields in Georgia. He was said to have beaten his slaves and treated them harshly for little reason. These facts, along with a whole litany of prejudice, greed, feelings of superiority and racism would lead to the forced removal of Indians from the southeast to lands beyond the Mississippi. They were led from their homes into unknown territory. Many of them died along the way. Some starved to death while others became sick with cholera. Brutal treatment didn’t help either. Many were led away in chains and walked the entire way. It was a mass exodus of an entire nation.

No matter what your heritage, this entire treatment of a race that had first dibs on this land, is not only unbelievable, but something you don’t want to believe about the formation of America. Andrew Jackson was loved by the people. He had a reputation for speaking his mind – often to his detriment. He earned favor early on in his own military career and eventually went on to be a senator and the seventh president of the Unted States. We cannot erase the truth of our history, but we can learn so much from it. Enough so as not to make the same mistakes over again. Unfortunately, the truth of that statement has deteriorated over time as we often continue to make the same mistakes.

God doesn’t show favoritism to one race or another. In fact, if we all stood before Him, we would most definitely not be able to live up to His expectations. We are all the same in His eyes. His love can change hearts, minds, evil deeds, illogical behavior, sin and all the bad that lives in this world. Fortunately, God loves all of His creatures. Because of His own Son, we can face God and know that we are forgiven. Our sins have all been paid for by Jesus. Our responsibility is to repent and change the way we live. History is a healthy reminder to keep us in check. Remembering that Jesus told his followers that in this world there will be trouble, but He has overcome the world. We have a much better place waiting for us on the other side of death. In the meantime, we may need to be reminded that every soul is precious to God in spite of our shortcomings.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4 ESV