Indian Removal Act 1830
Topic: Settler Colonialism: Native Peoples of America and Australia · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was a US law signed by President Andrew Jackson. It allowed the government to move native nations out of the south-east and onto lands west of the Mississippi river. Officially, the removals were to happen through treaties. In practice, natives were pressured, cheated or forced to leave. The law turned the forced removal of natives into government policy.
Example
Under this policy, the Cherokees of Georgia were driven west in 1838 on the 'Trail of Tears', even though Chief Justice John Marshall had ruled in their favour in 1832. More than a quarter of the 15,000 people forced to leave died on the way.
Don't confuse with
- Trail of Tears: this was the deadly forced march of 1838 itself. The Removal Act was the earlier law that made such marches possible.
Related concepts
- Cherokee
- Worcester v Georgia
- Trail of Tears
- Indian reservations
- American Indian Wars
- Wounded Knee Massacre 1890
- Chief Seattle