So what became of the once grand Cherokee nation? In 1830, the United States Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. The government of the United States wanted to move Native Americans from land in the southeast to "Indian Territory" in Oklahoma. The lands of the Cherokee and other tribes were valuable to white settlers who wanted to farm, hunt and graze animals. The Cherokee tried to live among the settlers, but the Indian Removal Act made their removal an act of law. The Trail of Tears began in 1838.
Painting by Robert Lindneux
Standards
- 4.3.CE Analyze the effects of government policies in promoting United States territorial expansion into the west.
- 8.3.CC Analyze debates and efforts to recognize the natural rights of marginalized groups during the period of expansion and sectionalism.
- This indicator was designed to encourage inquiry into the continuities and changes of the experiences of marginalized groups such as African Americans, Native Americans and women, as the U.S. expanded westward and grappled with the development of new states.
