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The Life of Andrew Jackson
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Indian Removal Act
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Why This Happened:
The Indian Removal Act had been made because the United States had been expanding and needed more land. Since Native Americans at that time weren't considered land holders, this meant land could have been taken away from them easily.
What Happened:
The Indian Removal Act was an act that caused the Five Civilized Tribes (Creeks, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, and Seminole) to give up their land and move to "Permanent Indian Territory." These tribes had tried to keep their land by trying to adopt "white ways." The Cherokee had even made their own Constitution though the state of Georgia had refused to accept the Cherokee as a sovereign nation. On May 26, 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, but in 1831 the Cherokee went to the Supreme Court about the Indian Removal Act. The court ruled that the Cherokee would be allowed to stay in their land. Even though the ruling was on the Cherokee's side, Jackson didn't enforce the law and forcibly removed the Cherokee in 1838. The other nations had also been removed forcibly, but the tribes like the Creeks, and Seminole had tried to fight for their land.