Pros And Cons Of The Indian Removal Act

Contrary to a popular, exaggerated thought among the settlers in the 1800s—that the West was unoccupied and perfect for settlers to claim—around a quarter million Native Americans inhabited these lands for long periods of time. Some lived there as a result of the Indian Removal Act (1830), where many tribes in the east were forced to walk the “Trail of Tears” and were relocated to present-day Oklahoma. Settlers viewed these groups as potential threats that would interfere with their westward expansion plans. Therefore, they wished for these tribes to be removed from the Great Plains. To accomplish these goals, treaties were created, but eventually, settlers and the local militias, with the support of the federal government, used more violent and drastic methods. The first method utilized by the

In 1851, the First Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed, and most Great Plains tribes agreed. The government agreed to pay $50,000 to tribes; in return, they would promise not to interfere with the American settlement process. Additionally, this agreement constructed specific land borders for the tribes. The Second Treaty of Fort Laramie was also created, under which the remaining Sioux tribes would be relocated to the Black Hills in the Dakota Territory. The Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek would move more groups, the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, and Comanche, to “Indian Territory,” which is now present-day Oklahoma. However, these treaties failed due to government corruption. Despite the First Treaty of Fort Laramie being signed by numerous groups, many were never