Indian Removal Act

Indian Removal Act

Open Ended

Map Analysis: Based on the map, what was the purpose of the Indian Removal Act?

​New Terms

Andrew Jackson - ​7th President of the United States. He was a supporter of Indian Removal. 

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​Trail of Tears - The forced relocation of Native American tribes to the west during the 1830s. More than 4,000 Native Americans died

  

​Indian Removal Act - Law signed by Andrew Jackson in 1830 that forced Native American tribes to move west

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Cherokee v. Georgia - Supreme Court decision stating that the Cherokee did not have to follow U.S. laws   

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Multiple Choice

President who supported Indian Removal

• James Madison

• Andrew Jackson

• James Monroe

• George H.W. Bush

Multiple Choice

Name for the law that forcibly moved Native American tribes from their homes to lands in the west.

• Indian Homestead Act

• Indian Relocation Act

• Indian Removal Act

• Indian Benevolence Act

Multiple Choice

True/False: The name for the forced relocation of Native American tribes to the west during the 1830s is called the Trail of Tears.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Name for the Supreme Court decision stating that the Cherokee did not have to follow U.S. laws   

• Cherokee v. Georgia 

• Cherokee v. Kansas

• Cherokee v. Oklahoma 

• Cherokee v. New York

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blank using the correct vocabulary term: As the United States expanded west in the 19th century, they started to believe that they were chosen by God to take over the entire North American continent. This belief was called Manifest Destiny. The land the United States was taking over was not unoccupied, but rather, owned by different Native American groups throughout the continent. Many people in the United States viewed Native Americans as barbaric, believing they could never fit in with American society and culture. This led many Americans to think of Indians as a problem that needed to be removed. One supporter of Indian removal was President

, who argued that it was in the best interest of the Natives to leave the United States.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blank using the correct vocabulary term: Therefore, according to Jackson, Indian removal was not an act of war, but an act of benevolence [kindness]. In 1830, he officially signed the

into law, which stated that Native American groups had to leave their homes and move out west. Fearful of the United States, some tribe leaders believed that it was for the best to accept the law and not fight it.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blank using the correct vocabulary term: Other groups, like the Cherokee believed that the law was unfair and that the United States could not force them to give up their land. The Cherokee challenged the constitutionality of the law in court. Their challenge was heard by the Supreme Court in a case called

. The Supreme Court agreed with the Cherokee, stating that the U.S. could not make any law that Native Americans had to follow since they were not Americans. Andrew Jackson ignored the ruling of the Supreme Court and continued to the process of Indian removal.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blank using the correct vocabulary term: Throughout the 1830s, thousands of Native American groups were forced off their home land and moved out west. Many died of hunger, disease, freezing, and exhaustion. Thousands of Native Americans died along the path that became known as the

. Because the U.S. created laws that led to widespread killing of a group of people, Indian removal is an example of genocide. 

Open Ended

Exit Ticket: What was the Indian Removal Act? What effect did it have on Native American groups living inside the United States?