The Indian Removal Act

Native Americans of the Southeast When Andrew Jackson became president, there were more than 100,000 Natives living east of the Mississippi River The major tribes were: Seminoles, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee and Creek The Cherokee were the most Europeanized of the tribes, they ran their own businesses and mills, their kids went to school and learned both English and Cherokee, and most had converted to Christianity The Cherokee also had invented their own written language in 1827 when their leader Sequoyah organized the tribe into a government based on written laws and rules like the Americans used, Sequoyah also created the first Cherokee newspaper written in both languages

Conflict Over Land When gold was found outside of Charlotte NC in the early 1800’s, the government sent land surveyors and scientists to look for other possible deposits, while little to no other gold was found, these surveyors report back to the government about the exceptional quality of the soil on native lands Policies to remove the natives off their land begun under President Jefferson, when he offered voluntary land sales to the native tribes in exchange for free land west of the Mississippi After the War of 1812, the government signed peace treaties with many tribes in the Northwest Territory (OH, IL, IN, MI, MN, WI) in exchange for no more war, the tribes would forfeit their land and move out west Many tribes in the Southeast, refused these treaties and remained on their land, refusing to deal with any government orders In 1825, President Monroe suggested a plan that would require all persons with any native blood to leave the USA and move into Spanish New Mexico, Congress refused the deal but tensions remained In 1825 Georgia made a law that all Creeks had to give up their land and move, other tribes in Georgia would also have to move since they physically looked like Creeks and the government could not distinguish between them The natives sued the government and the Supreme Court found that because the Creek had signed a contract to leave they must go, but because the other tribes did not sign the contract they can stay in Georgia In 1830, President Jackson stated that if the State of Georgia could not force the Natives off their land, then the federal government would, Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830

On The Trail of Tears Believing that they had no choice, many tribes signed treaties and gave up all of their land, the tribes who did not were forcibly removed from their land after 1830 The army protected those tribes who offered to move peacefully west of the Mississippi River, once off their land the army refused to provide food, shelter, protection and began to kill natives to did not move fast enough, those who refused to move off their land at all were immediately killed and their possessions stolen The Cherokee refused to be removed until 1837 when President Jackson ordered the army to forcibly take their land and relocate them into Oklahoma Martin Van Buren takes over as president the following year and carries out Jackson’s plan, in the winter of 1838-39 7,000 soldiers forced the Cherokee off their land in the worst cold winter to point without any provisions, when the Cherokee were dying fast enough, they were purposely given small pox By the time the Cherokee reach Oklahoma over 25% of their total population has died The Seminoles also refused to relocate and were fought and beaten by the army in 1840