(PRESIDENTS 1829) Andrew Jackson Broadsheet printing of his

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(PRESIDENTS--1829.) Andrew Jackson. Broadsheet printing of his first State of the Union address, presaging the Trail of Tears, titled "President's Message," in an issue of the Republican Star. 2 pages, 20 1/2 x 12 3/4 inches, on one sheet; moderate foxing and wear at folds, small ink calculation in lower margin; uncut. Easton, MD, 10 December [1829]

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Jackson's 8 December State of the Union address fills almost the entirety of this broadsheet newspaper (two small ads are wedged in at the end). Almost a full column is dedicated to "the condition and ulterior destiny of the Indian tribes within the limits of some of our states." His plan to relocate the five southeastern tribes is presented as a benevolent act:

"I suggest, for your consideration the propriety of setting apart an ample district West of the Mississippi, and without the limits of any State or Territory now formed, to be guaranteed to the Indian tribes, as long as they shall occupy it: each tribe having a distinct control over the portion designated for its use. There they may be secured in the enjoyment of governments of their own choice. . . . This emigration should be voluntary: for it would be as cruel as unjust to compel the aborigines to abandon the graves of their fathers and seek a home in a distant land." Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law the following May, setting the Trail of Tears into motion.