Background Information
Since the 1600s, most white settlers in the United States had held one of two attitudes toward Native Americans. Some whites favored the displacement (removal) of all Native Americans. Others wished to convert Native Americans to Christianity, turn them into farmers, and absorb them into the white culture. By the end of the War of 1812, some of the Southeastern tribes—the Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, Creek, and Chickasaw—had begun to adopt the European culture of their white neighbors.
These “five civilized tribes,” as they were called by whites, occupied large areas in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Many white planters and miners wanted that land. President Andrew Jackson thought that assimilation could not work. Another possibility—allowing Native Americans to live in their original areas—would have required too many troops to keep the areas free of white settlers. Jackson believed that the only solution was to move the Native Americans from their lands to areas farther west. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. Under this law, the federal government provided funds to negotiate treaties that would force the Native Americans to move west. About 90 treaties were signed. For Jackson, the removal policy was “not only liberal, but generous,” but his arguments were mainly based on the rights of states to govern within their own boundaries. In 1830, Jackson pressured the Choctaw to sign a treaty that required them to move from Mississippi. In 1831, he ordered U.S. troops to forcibly remove the Sauk and Fox from their lands in Illinois and Missouri. In 1832, he forced the Chickasaw to leave their lands in Alabama and Mississippi. The Cherokee in Georgia held on until 1838, when they were finally forced to march west along what became known as the Trail of Tears. Source: McDougal Littell, The Americans. 2002. |
Additional information on the Indian Removal Act (optional)
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Guiding Questions - Answer these questions in your graphic organizer.
1. What were the two different attitudes that most white American settlers had toward Native Americans? (Paragraph 1)
2. What did President Jackson think was the best way to deal with the Native American tribes that lived in the East? (Paragraph 3)
3. What was the result of the Indian Removal Act for the Native American tribes of the East? (Paragraph 5)
4. Write down at least one thing from the video, the map, the Trail of Tears painting, or the additional links that you think is interesting or important.
1. What were the two different attitudes that most white American settlers had toward Native Americans? (Paragraph 1)
2. What did President Jackson think was the best way to deal with the Native American tribes that lived in the East? (Paragraph 3)
3. What was the result of the Indian Removal Act for the Native American tribes of the East? (Paragraph 5)
4. Write down at least one thing from the video, the map, the Trail of Tears painting, or the additional links that you think is interesting or important.