Document Text |
Summary |
| Circular Addressed to Benevolent Ladies of the United States: | |
| “Ever since the existence of this nation, our general government … [has] acknowledged … [the Indigenous] people, as free and independent nations, and has protected them in the quiet possession of their lands…. But the lands of this people are claimed to be embraced within the limits of some of our Southern States, and as they are fertile and valuable, they are demanded by the whites as their own possessions, and efforts are making to dispossess the Indians of their native soil. | Indigenous nations have been free and independent on the lands of the United States since the nation’s founding. However, now that white settlers think that their land is valuable, they are demanding it for themselves and are forcing Indigenous people to leave. |
| And such is the singular state of concurring circumstances, that it has become almost a certainty, that these people are to have their lands torn from them, and to be driven into western wilds and to final annihilation, unless the feelings of a humane and Christian nation shall be aroused to prevent the unhallowed sacrifice…. Have not then the females of this country some duties devolving upon them in relation to this helpless race? … | At this point it is certain that Indigenous people are going to be forced to give up their land and move west, where they will likely die unless the government does something to stop it. The U.S. should prevent this from happening. Aren’t women in particular responsible for helping those less fortunate? |
| It may be, that female petitioners can lawfully be heard, even by the highest rulers of our land…. This communication was written and sent abroad solely by the female hand. Let every woman who peruses it … endeavor by every suitable expedient to interest the feelings of her friends, relatives and acquaintances, in behalf of this people, that are ready to perish. A few weeks must decide this interesting and important question, and after that time, sympathy and regret will all be in vain.” | It may be possible for women to make their political opinions known to the highest powers in the U.S. This petition was written and circulated by women. We hope that women everywhere will be moved by it and will commit themselves to this cause. There are only a few weeks left to make real change, or we will all be left living with regret. |
Circular Addressed to Benevolent Ladies of the United States
[Catharine Beecher], “Circular Addressed to Benevolent Ladies of the U. States,” December 1, 1829. Theda Purdue, ed., The Cherokee Removal: A Brief History with Documents. (Boston: Bedford/St , rev. Martin’s Press, 2016.)
The complete text is available at https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/circular-addressed-to-benevolent-ladies-of-the-united-states/.
Background
In the first half of the 1800s, Indigenous lands in the Southeast U.S. were invaded by white American settlers. This caused conflict with Indigenous communities, and the U.S. government wanted an easy solution. In 1829, President Andrew Jackson started to support a new bill called the Indian Removal Act. If passed, the law would force Indigenous communities off their ancestral lands to clear the way for U.S. expansion.
Most white Americans supported the Indian Removal Act because they thought it was the best way to strengthen the country. But Indigenous communities like the Seminole and Cherokee fought back, and their resistance drew the attention of white activists.
About the Document
Catharine Beecher, the older sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe, wrote this petition against the Indian Removal Act in 1829. She asked women all over the U.S. to sign and show the U.S. government that they did not support the forced removal of Indigenous communities. Women did not have any formal political power in the U.S. in 1829 because they did not have the right to vote. Women were also discouraged from taking part in debates over public policy because it was considered outside the bounds of acceptable women’s behavior. But more and more women were taking an interest in the major issues that affected the whole nation, and petitions were one of the only socially acceptable ways for them to make their voices heard.
Despite this petition campaign, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act on May 28, 1830. These failures forced women activists to recognize that they needed the right to vote in order to play a real role in shaping national policy.
Vocabulary
- Seminole: Name for an Indigenous community that originally inhabited lands that span modern-day Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Today, there are large Seminole communities in Florida and Oklahoma.
- Cherokee: A North American Indigenous tribe that originally inhabited territory in the area now known as the American Southeast. Today, the Cherokee Nation is headquartered in Oklahoma.
Discussion Questions
- Why does Catherine Beecher object to Indian Removal?
- Why were petitions an acceptable way for women to state public opinions?
- How did the passage of the Indian Removal Act galvanize the movement for women’s suffrage?
Suggested Activities
- APUSH Connection: 4.8 Jackson and Federal Power
- Include this document in any lesson about the passage of the Indian Removal Act.
- Invite students to examine the following resources to learn how Cherokee and other Indigenous women campaigned against removal:
- For a lesson about how Indigenous people responded to Indian Removal, see:
- To learn more about how white Americans felt about U.S. expansion, see Handcart Pioneers.
- For more on the political activism of women in this period, see:
- In Their Own Words
- No Place for Black Women
- Married Women’s Property Act
- Life Story: Dorothea Dix
- Ad for Uncle Tom’s Cabin
- Growing Frustration
- Benevolent Societies
- Salem Anti-Slavery Society
- Life Story: Ernestine Rose
- Life Story: Sojourner Truth
- Life Story: The Grimke Sisters
- Pro- and Anti- Slavery Literature for Children
- After examining this document, ask students to study the following and then write an essay about why women started pursuing suffrage in the mid-1800s.
Themes
ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE
New-York Historical Society Curriculum Library Connections
- To learn more about the rise of women’s activism in the early 19th century, see Saving Washington: The New Republic and Early Reformers.
