During the 1800s, American settlers began to explore the land in the United States that was received through purchases and agreements such as the Louisiana Purchase, Mexican Cession, and Gasden Purchase. These agreements lead to settlers moving onto western land and begin to develop the land there. In 1862, the Homstead Act was passed by Congress, granting government-owned western land to farmers. The goverment gave 160 acres of almost free western land as long as the settlers had to live in and work for 5 years in the land. As more and more people began to move in to the west, drawn by the promise of cheap land, the Native Americans lost even more land. As white settlers moved in, Native American tribes were slowly forced out through laws and treaties. They were treated with little respect, moved from their homes onto smaller strips of land called reservations, and having their culture stripped from them by being forcibly assimilated into American culture. The Homestead Act is unfair towards Native Americans and takes away their rightful homes. …show more content…
The “Indian Removal Act”, for example, was put into action in order to clear out the land for white settlers to live upon. The United States used such shameful methods as the slaughter of native tribes as well as biological warfare through blankets covered in smallpox. Forced marches used to relocate the natives resulted in very high death rates. The “Trail of Tears” in 1838 was cause by the Indian Removal Act, and caused the destruction of the majority of the Cherokee tribe. After being removed from their homes, the Native Americans were placed in a small reservation with little land and resources. This lead to increased death rates due to the conditions during the migration and the destruction of their ways of