Indian Removal policy of the United States

E6195

The Indian Removal policy of the United States was a 19th-century federal strategy that forcibly displaced Native American nations from their ancestral homelands in the East to territories west of the Mississippi River, leading to widespread suffering and events such as the Trail of Tears.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal policy
forced relocation policy
government policy
affectedGroup Cherokee Nation
Chickasaw Nation
Choctaw Nation
Creek (Muscogee) Nation
Seminole
numerous smaller Native American nations
appliesTo Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern United States
Native American nations
constitutionalIssue federal versus state authority over Indian affairs
continuedUnderPresident Martin Van Buren
country United States
criticizedBy Christian missionaries
abolitionists and humanitarians
some members of the U.S. Congress
destinationRegion Indian Territory
lands west of the Mississippi River
goal opening eastern lands to white settlement
relocation of Native American nations west of the Mississippi River
historicalAssessment viewed as a grave injustice against Native Americans
widely regarded as an act of ethnic cleansing
ideologicalJustification Manifest Destiny
white settler expansionism
initiatedUnderPresident Andrew Jackson
keyEvent Creek War of 1836
Second Seminole War
Trail of Tears
legalBasis Indian Removal Act of 1830
longTermConsequence creation of reservations in the West
lasting trauma in Native American communities
major demographic changes in the American South
precedent for later U.S. Indian policies
majorLegislation Indian Removal Act of 1830
method coercive diplomacy
military force
treaty-making
relatedCourtCase Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
Worcester v. Georgia
result Trail of Tears
expansion of plantation slavery in the Southeast
forced displacement of Native American nations
loss of ancestral homelands for Native nations
mass death among removed Native Americans
startPeriod 1820s
timePeriod 19th century

Referenced by (25)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Black Hawk War
Creek War of 1836 ("Indian Removal Act of 1830")
Georgia Gold Rush ("Indian Removal Act")
Worcester v. Georgia ("Indian Removal policy")
relatedTo
Antebellum period ("Indian Removal")
Indian Territory ("Indian Removal")
United States territorial expansion ("Indian Removal Act")
significantEvent
Second Seminole War
Trail of Tears ("Indian Removal Act of 1830")
hasCause
Trail of Tears ("Indian removal")
Treaty of 1837 with the United States ("United States Indian removal policy era")
partOf
Potawatomi ("Indian removal policies of the United States")
experienced
First Seminole War ("Indian Removal era")
followedBy
Kawita people ("Indian Removal era")
forcedMigration
Shawnee ("Indian Removal era")
forcedRemoval
Indigenous peoples of North America ("Indian Removal in the United States")
hasHistoricalEvent
Jacksonian era ("Indian Removal Act of 1830")
hasPart
Southeastern Woodlands ("Indian Removal policies")
impactedBy
Indian Removal policy of the United States ("Indian Removal Act of 1830")
legalBasis
Native Americans ("Indian Removal Act")
legalDocument
Indian Territory ("Indian Removal Act of 1830")
legislatedBy
Indian Removal policy of the United States ("Indian Removal Act of 1830")
majorLegislation
Andrew Jackson ("Indian Removal Act of 1830")
notableWork
United States–Native American wars ("Indian Removal Act of 1830")
policyContext
Creek (Muscogee) ("Indian Removal policies")
wasSubjectOf

Please wait…