Indian Removal Act Dbq

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The Indian Removal Act, which is the law authorized the president to negotiate with Indian tribes for their removal to west of the Mississippi River in trade for their lands, was passed by congress on May 28, 1830 since the President Jackson signed into this law. In other words, this law enabled to remove the Indians from their native lands. Through the Indian Removal Act, the five civilized tribes Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole were affected and forced to relocate their tribes from east of the Mississippi River to area in the west. President Andrew Jackson was a strong opponent of Indians and fought against them before becoming president in 1828. Even though some of people opposed this act, most Americans who lived in southern area supported this Indian Removal Act. Why did President Jackson and other Americans support this act? …show more content…

President Jackson mentioned in Transcript of President Andrew Jackson's Message to Congress 'On Indian Removal' that “moving the Indians would separate them from immediate contact with settlements of whites, free them from the power of the States, enable them to pursue happiness in their own way, and would stop their slow extinction.” At that time, Americans tried to convert Indians’ life to American, such as different language, religion, culture and more. However, this attempt by Americans did not work out as they expected, and American did not satisfied with the results. Therefore, they changed the solution between the state and Indian tribes from assimilation to