The Indian Removal Act 1830 and The Trail

The Indian Removal Act (1830) and The Trail of Tears (1838)

Indian Removal Act, 1830 • Indian Removal Act, offered Native Americans new lands west of Mississippi in return for their land in the southeastern states • Some Cherokees accept the offer and sell their land while other Cherokee tribes refuse • Americans view Native Americans as blocking advancement of civilization 2

Worchester v. Georgia, 1832 • The Supreme Court under John Marshall ruled that Georgia could not remove the Cherokee from their land because they were a recognized nation with their own recognized boundaries • Jackson does not follow the Supreme Court ruling and sides with the state of Georgia, he is strongly supported by the planter elite • 15, 000 Indians will be forced from their homes, 4, 000 will die because of the move 3

Trail of Tears • The Cherokee were removed from the Southeastern states to territory in Oklahoma in 1838 • U. S. Army forcibly removed them from their homes just before winter. The Cherokee believed that their legal victory would protect them from being removed from their land. • Thousands will die due to not being prepared for trip • Trail is 1, 200 miles long traveled by foot • 25% of Cherokee died - most elderly and children 4

Trail of Tears, Robert Lindneux 1942 5

Map of the Trail of Tears 6