Black Hawk War Summary

A treaty between William Henry Harrison and two Sauk Indians was believed to be an opening for the Americans into all Sauk lands for only $2500. The Sauk chiefs back in Illinois and Wisconsin said that the two Sauks involved in the treaty did not have the authority to speak for the nation, so it was null. Due to the chiefs reasoning, the Indians continued to live where they had since the 1750's.
Twenty-five years later, settlers started flocking to the region of Rock River because the lead industry was very profitable. They were taking over the Sauk land, but the Indians agreed to a deal with the government: If they moved across the Mississippi, the government would supply them with enough corn to last the winter. The government did not keep their end of the deal, so about 1200 Sauk returned to the other side of the river. Lead by Black Hawk, they hoped to regain their land and harvest their corn.
Black Hawk believed he could get help from his neighbors and the British, but he was wrong. The U.S. troops and militia were out to get the Sauks. It came at the Battle of Stillman's Run in May of 1832. A few men were sent out under a white flag to surrender; however, to this the Americans paid no attention to. The Indian barely escaped.
The warriors kept trying to make their way back across the Mississippi throughout the summer of 1832. During this time many very young and elderly Indians died of hunger, thirst, and exhaustion. On August 2, the Indians were caught and held up a white flag again, but the Americans refused to recognize this. The Sauks tried to retreat by swimming across the river, but the Americans shot at them, making the Mississippi a bloody red. Many of the people who made it across were killed by Sioux Warriors. Little groups that made it, hid in the wilderness or in the hunting camps of their old neighbors. Black Hawk surrendered himself at Fort Crawford. Only about 150 Sauks survived out of the 1200 who originally came to get their land back.

Newsweek Articles

How did this election connect with Jackson?
During Andrew Jackson's presidency he promoted the inclusion of all people...if you were a white male. Although Jackson thought slavery was okay, the election of other presidents has stopped slavery. The connection of this election with Jackson is that we are ready to include. Women and blacks have come very far, and people are accepting that they can lead the nation.

Why was Jackson a change agent?
Andrew Jackson was the first presidential nominee to put the citizens at the center of politics. Jackson set a standard for all presidents after him by listening to the voices of those who were thought of as the "little people". If Jackson had not put his foot down and said aloud that we would not fight eachother within our own country, the United States might not even be here because there would have been so much of a difference between the North and South that we would not be able to recooperate. Jackson changed our country for the better by setting a good example for all those who follow in his footsteps.

Electoral College Should Go

I agree with Matthew Spearman, in that the direct popular vote should be how the president is elected. We should have a pure democracy so that when we vote, it will be counted towards the person we want to be in office, as opposed to voting for the people who will represent your vote in your state. People would feel that they are actually making a difference in voting because their vote would be directly affecting the person elected so more people would. As witnesses to the crisis in 2000, I am sure none of us would want to see the failure of the electoral college again. Using the electoral college is a 200 year old process that needs to be adapted to fit the wants and needs of us-the United States citizens.