How did President Andrew Jackson respond to the Worcester vGeorgia ruling? (point)
President Andrew Jackson responded to the Worcester v. Georgia ruling by defying it and refusing to enforce it.
In 1832, the Supreme Court ruled in Worcester v. Georgia that the state of Georgia had violated the rights of the Cherokee Nation by passing laws that extended its jurisdiction over Cherokee territory. The court declared that the Cherokee Nation was a sovereign entity and recognized its right to self-government. This decision explicitly invalidated Georgia's laws and asserted federal authority over Native American lands.
However, President Jackson, who had a long-standing belief in the removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands, disagreed with the court's ruling. He famously responded by reportedly saying, "John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it."
Jackson's position reflected his determination to prioritize the expansion and settlement of white Americans into Native American lands. He was a strong advocate for the Indian Removal Act, which passed in 1830 and resulted in the forced relocation of thousands of Native Americans, primarily the Cherokee, to reservations in present-day Oklahoma. Despite the Supreme Court ruling, Jackson refused to enforce it and took no action to protect the Cherokee Nation from Georgia's encroachment.
Ultimately, Jackson's disregard for the Worcester v. Georgia ruling demonstrated his commitment to advancing his vision of westward expansion at the expense of Native American rights and sovereignty. His actions set a precedent of executive defiance towards the judiciary, emphasizing the limitations of the Supreme Court's power in enforcing its rulings.