Indian+Removal+Act

toc =Indian Removal Act=

The Indian Removal Act was created by President Andrew Jackson. It stated that all Indians should be forced out of the western regions so the U.S. could expand their boundaries further west.

Why was it Started?
President Andrew Jackson did not like the fact that the U.S. was not able to settle the land which was they thought was rightfully theirs because of the Indians. In 1830 the Indian Removal act was put in place. Congress provided money to carry out Jackson’s policy of Indian removal.

The Southern Indians
The Southern Indians, at this time, were mad at the Americans for taking their land. They occupied parts of Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. Most Americans had little idea about what the Indians valued or anything about their culture. Most Indian societies wanted to retain a cultural and religious life that they had maintained over thousands of years. The Southern states treated the Indians almost as harshly as they did slaves. The Southern Indian tribes would not agree to blend into the U.S. They insisted on keeping their tribal governments. The Choctaws were the first tribe to sign the Removal Treaty in the September of 1830. There were government attempts to protect some of the Choctaws who chose to stay. But, the Indians were no match for the land-craving whites who squatted illegally or cheated them out of their land. Most of the remaining Choctaws gave up, sold their land and moved west.

The American Settlers
The American settlers complained that they could not expand to the west because of the “savage” Indians. Not everyone thought that the Indian Removal Act was a good thing. Some people thought it was not right and should be stopped. Others that were merchants depended on the West for trade, thought it was a wonderful idea. The more settlers that moved West the more money the merchants would make. Jackson would keep pushing the Indians further and further West till they had no land at all.

President Andrew Jackson
Jackson used to be a fierce Indian fighter. He personally didn't hate them he just wanted what was best for the country. In //his// mind getting rid of the Indians was his way of doing what is right for the country. His objective was not the destruction of Indian life and culture. He believed that removal was the Indian's only salvation against certain extinction.

In The End
The result of the Indian Removal Act was that the Indians were pushed West. It is believed that about 70,000 Native Americans were forced to move from Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, Tennessee and Florida, to Oklahoma. During the journey many died from starvation and disease. The land that we owned was the Indian ancestors that we took away from them. This was called the Trail of Tears.