U.S. History / Unit 3: The Early Republic and Expansion
3.5 Indian Removal
Notes
As settlers pushed west, the government forced Native nations from their lands in the Southeast.
- Many Cherokee had adopted a written constitution, farms and a newspaper, but Georgia still wanted their land, especially after gold was found.
- The Indian Removal Act (1830) let the president negotiate treaties to move Native nations west of the Mississippi to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma).
- ***Worcester v. Georgia* (1832)**: the Supreme Court ruled the Cherokee nation was a distinct community where Georgia law had no force. Jackson did not enforce the ruling.
- Trail of Tears (1838 to 1839): the U.S. Army forced the Cherokee west; about 4,000 of roughly 16,000 died.
- The Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Seminole were also removed. Some Seminole fought the Seminole Wars in Florida.
Practice
The Indian Removal Act of 1830:
It led to the forced removal of the Southeastern nations to Indian Territory.
After the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokee in Worcester v. Georgia, what happened?
The ruling had little effect because the executive branch would not enforce it.
Which statement best explains why Georgia wanted Cherokee land?
Demand for cotton land and the 1829 gold discovery increased pressure for removal.
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