By Ezra Rosser, American University Washington College of Law ( November 29, 2016, 4:07 PM EST) -- In the 1830s, concerned citizens groups sent memorials to Congress beseeching the government to not forcibly remove Indians from their homelands. The "Memorial of the Ladies of Steubenville, Ohio Against the Forcible Removal of the Indians," for example, began by noting the "right which the Indians have to the land of their forefathers," and ended by appealing to the members of Congress "to shelter the American character from lasting dishonor [of removal]." Similar memorials were sent to Washington not only from Cherokee leaders but also from non-Indian towns and churches spread across the country. Ultimately, in what is a dark stain on U.S. history, President Andrew Jackson did remove tribes west. But the efforts of concerned non-Indians who opposed removal should not be lost....