PeterEmanuel

ENG181

Project1,Part1,FinalDraft

February22nd,2016
Chapter18.5

Everythingisblack.Ihearapoundingcomingfromsomewherenearby.Iopen
myeyes.
Avoicecamefromthesamespotasthatgoddamnpoundingnoisethatwokeme
up.
Sir!Sir!Wemustbeonourway!
EversinceIhadstartedthesetimetravelingescapades,Ihavegonefromclosing
myeyesinonebodytoopeningthemrightbackupinanother.Honestly,Ijustwant
somesleeprightaboutnow.Whydoesthisvoicehavetowakemeup?
Youbestbegettingready!
Thevoicecallsoutagain.IguesswhatevertimeperiodIminnowdoesnthave
alarmclocks.
Mr.Jackson!
Ohboy.SoImablackguylivinginatimebeforealarmclocks.Wonderful.Of
course,thiscouldjustbearacistassumption.AtleastImnotanIndianthough.
Reluctantly,Igetoutofbedandgotoopenthedoorwhereitseemedthatguywas
knockingfrom.TheroomIminisdefinitelytoofancyforwhatImusedto,butatleastI
cansaywithmoderateconfidencenowthatImnotaslavethough.NottomentionIfeel
extremelytall.
Islamthedooropen.Ah,Mr.President,yourefinallyawake.Yourspeechisin
30minutes.Ihopeyouareprepared.
Fuck.ImAndrewJackson.Imtheguywhoapparentlyscrewedoverevery
IndiansouthoftheMasonDixonline.Imtheguywhocalledhimselfawarheroafter
winningtheMuskogeeWar,whichwasgenocide.AndImtheguywhoprobably
oversleptbecauseIwasoutlatelastnightwithtendifferentladieswhocouldntwaitto

gettheirhandsonmeaftermywifedied.Andthisguyismybutler.See,theHistory
Channelteachesyoualotafterall.
Asfastaspossible,Itidymyselfupinthebathroomandgetchangedintoasuit
mybutlerlaysoutforme.AsmuchasIdwanttogobacktosleep,forsomereasonI
havelesscontroloverthisbodythanusual.
Ilookedatmyselfinthemirrorofmymilliondollarbathroom,butIsurelydo
nothaveamilliondollarface.Ilookold,stressed,anddepressed.KindoflikehowI
picturemyfather,butnotaswhiteandnotastall.Samegreyhairsallover.
AsIwalkoutthedoorofwhatInowknowistheWhiteHouse,myhandydandy
butlergivesmeashortstackofpapers.
Yourspeech,sir.
Forthefirsttime,Igetagoodlookatmybutler.Heschubby.Clearlyheisnt
starving.Heswearingatuxedowitharedtieandhisskintoneisabrickcolor.The
dudesaBigRedIndian.
TherealwayshastobeanIndianinvolved,doesntthere?Thatsthepointofall
thesedreams,right?
Forsomereason,mybodydoesntwantmetolookatmyspeech.MaybeMr.
Jacksonhasreaditoversomanytimesthathedoesntwanttolookatitagain.
Involuntarily,IsnatchthespeechfromBigRedbutlerandgivehimasneer.
BigRedthenleadsmetoourride.Ihavenoideawherewearegoingformeto
givethisspeech,butmybodydoesntseemworried.Ifanything,itseemspissedoff.
IsMr.Jacksonstilldepressedabouthiswife?
No.
Thatsnotwhatsonhismind.Icantell.Ithinkheisannoyedthathisbutlerisan
Indian.
Thensomethingweirdhappens.Thehorsepullingourcarriagestopsandstarts
bucking.Lookslikethereisacrowdupahead.
IwasabouttoaskBigRedwhatwasgoingon,butbeforeIcouldgetmywordin,
heinterjects.
Justsomeprotesters.Theywillbreakuponcewecross.

Aswegotcloser,Icouldmakeoutsomeofthesignsthesepeoplewereholding.
OneofthemsaidAndrewJacksonasGreatFatherandhadapictureofmesittingina
throne.Myfacelooksdistorted,differentthanitdidinthemirrorthismorning.Ialmost
looklikeademon.AtmyfeetwerelittleIndiansdoingthehouseholdchores.Clearlythe
Indiansaremadeouttobeslaveshere.
ThenIrealizewhatsgoingon.
Crap.
Theseareprotesters.Theyseemangry.
Andtheyareprotestingagainstme.
IwishIcouldtellthemthatanIndianisactuallyinthemindofAndrewJackson
andmaybethentheywouldnthatemesomuch,butIhaveabsolutelynocontrol.
Sir,thesepeopledontunderstandwhatyouaretryingtodo.Dontletthemfool
you.
Waitaminute.BigRedisanIndianthough!Whywouldnthesidewiththe
protesters?
Whatinblazesisgoingonhere?
Nonetheless,theprotestersmadeapathforustocontinueon.Ihopetheydont
closeuponusliketheRedSeadidonthePharaoh.Thatwouldmakeforalousy
experience,butIdigress.
AcoupleminuteslaterwemakeittowhatappearstobetheUnitedStates
Congressbuilding.ItlookslargerandwhiterthanontheInternetforsomereason.Maybe
inthe21stCenturytheydecidedtomakethebuildingslooklesswhitetoseempolitically
correct,orP.C.,astheycallit.
Whatever.
Thecarriageloopsaroundaswestopatthebackentrancetothishall.
Instinctively,Itakemyspeechandenterthebuilding.Istarttowalk,fasterandfaster,to
thebackentrancetothepodiumroom,mymindcalmandresolute.
IcantbelieveIamabouttogiveaspeechinfrontofCongress.

IenterthepodiumroomandIhearroundsofapplause.Someoftheaudience
refusedtoclapthough.Coincidentally,thosewhowerentsokeenonclappinghappened
tobewearingblueoryellowties.
ThecolorsoftheWhigParty.
Iwantedtoaskthemwhytheywerentclappingformetoday,thesamewayI
wantedtoasktheprotestersonthestreetwhytheyhatedme,thesamewayIwantedto
askmybutlerwhyIhadtogetupsoearlythismorning.
Butmybodydidntcareenough.
AndrewJacksonclearlydoesntgiveashitifsomepeopledontlikehim.
Andthenhestartstalkingtoo.Idontwanttogivethisspeech,butIcantdo
anythingaboutit.JacksonwonallthissupporttobecomePresidentandnowheisabout
toletalltheIndiansdown.
"ItgivesmepleasuretoannouncetoCongressthatthebenevolentpolicyofthe
Government,steadilypursuedfornearlythirtyyears,inrelationtotheremovalof
theIndiansbeyondthewhitesettlementsisapproachingtoahappy
consummation.Twoimportanttribeshaveacceptedtheprovisionmadefortheir
removalatthelastsessionofCongress,anditisbelievedthattheirexamplewill
inducetheremainingtribesalsotoseekthesameobviousadvantages."
Ohno.
HestalkingabouttheIndianRemovalAct,thatwhichforcedtheFiveCivilized
Tribes,theChickasaw,Creek,Cherokee,Choctaw,andSeminoletribes,torelocatewest
oftheMississippi,losingtheirnativelandinexchangeformoneyandhopeofabetter
life.
Bullshit.
Allthismovementdidwascausepain,suffering,anddeath.TheAmericanswant
torelocateIndiansandisolatethemsotheywillvanish.Oddlyenough,itseemsasif
Jacksonisthinkingthesamething.Heknowswhatisreallygoingonhere,andIthinkhe
likesit.Heknowsthatafairamountoftheaudienceandafairamountofthepublic
disagree,buthatredoftheIndiansseemedtogiveJacksonhispower.

TheconsequencesofaspeedyremovalwillbeimportanttotheUnitedStates,to
individualStates,andtotheIndiansthemselves.Thepecuniaryadvantageswhich
itpromisestotheGovernmentaretheleastofitsrecommendations.Itputsanend
toallpossibledangerofcollisionbetweentheauthoritiesoftheGeneralandState
Governments,onaccountoftheIndians.Itwillplaceadenseandcivilized
populationinlargetractsofcountrynowoccupiedbyafewsavagehunters.
Icantbelievehejustpulledthesavagecard.Iguessthisiswhereeveryone
getsitfrom.AndrewJacksonmustbetheOriginalGangsterofNativeAmericanracial
profiling,theO.G.Indianhater.
ItwillrelievethewholeStateofMississippi,andthewesternpartof
Alabama,ofIndianoccupancy,andenablethoseStatestoadvancerapidlyin
population,wealth,andpower.
Iwantedtomakehimstop,butIamunable.Ihaveneverfeltsomuchsympathy
formyownpeopleinmyentirelife.WhatAndrewJacksonissayingiscompletelyand
utterlyunfair.
ThenIheardcheersfromthecrowd,well,thosewhowerentWhigsatleast.They
wereapplaudingmebecauseItoldthemhowawesometheSouthisgoingtobewhenthe
Indiansaregone.
Ievenheardacheerfrombehindme.SoundslikeitwascomingfromBigRed.I
knewtherewassomethingfishyabouthim.
Thatturncoat!
HowcouldhebeOKwithhisbrothersandsistersleavingtheirreservations
forever?ClearlythePresidentdoesnotlikeIndians;AndrewJacksontreatedhimlike
crapearlierthismorningyethestillsidesagainsthisown!
Indiansbackthenmusthavehadnodignity.
Thisismadness.Itspeoplelikehimwhoareresponsiblefortheslowbutsure
killingoftheNativeAmericanculture.Cowardlypeoplelikemyfather.TheIndians
couldhavebeenresilient,butno,thosewhowerentdirectlyinvolvedintheatrocities
didntcareenough.
JustlikeAndrewJacksonandtherestofCongress.Theydidntcareeither.

EventheWhigsdontcarethatmuch.IftheWhigsreallycaredtheywoulddo
moretoopposethisspeech,butIhaveafeelingtheyarejustnotclappingtoperpetuate
thepoliticaldrama.
IfallthesepeopletookusIndiansseriously,insteadofthrowingusintothepast
andtreatinguslikelowlives,maybewewouldntbesoweakinthepresentday.Maybe
wewouldnthaveadrinkingproblem.Maybemyfatherwouldnthavebeensuchafuck
up.
NowIamtrulythankfulforthoseprotesters.Iwishoneofthemwould
assassinateme,thePresident,soIdontfuckovertheIndiansanymore.
ThesethoughtsareracingthroughmymindandbeforeIcanevencomebackto
reality,AndrewJacksonhasfinishedgivinghisspeechandisleavingthepodium.
IseestupidBigRedahead,waitingformeatmyride.
Sir,thatwasquiteafinemessageyougave.Surelyyouwillhavewonover
therestof
Ithenclosemyeyes.Goddamnit.

WorksConsulted
DunbarOrtiz,Roxanne.AnIndigenousPeoples'HistoryoftheUnitedStates.
Boston,MA:Beacon,2014.Print.
Jackson,Andrew."ToGalesandSeaton'sRegister."IndianRemovalAct. Washington,
D.C.6Dec.1830.TheLibraryofCongress.Web.01Feb.2016.
<https://www.loc.gov>.
"PrimaryDocumentsinAmericanHistory."IndianRemovalAct:(Virtual Programs&
Services,LibraryofCongress).TheLibraryofCongress,5 Nov.2015.Web.01
Feb.2016.
"ThePresidents:AndrewJackson."TheWhiteHouse.TheWhiteHouse,Web.10Feb.
2016.<https://www.whitehouse.gov>.Web
Wyatt,ClarenceR.EncyclopediaofMediaandPropagandainWartimeAmerica.
Ed.MartinJ.Manning.Vol.I.SantaBarbara:ABCCLIO,2011.Web.01Feb
2016.