USH Unit 6.3

The U.S. Army captured these Seminole chiefs in 1824.

IN YOUR NOTEBOOK WRITE:
Why did white Americans oust Native Americans from their Homes?

BELL RINGER

What happened to the Cherokee Nation Territory over the 200 years after 1600?

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TURN AND TALK

Indian
Removal
Act

Open Ended

1. With a partner, take turns describing the location of each Native American group on the map.

3. Draw Conclusions
   Considering where these Native American groups lived, what would happen to them as settlers continued to move west?

Multiple Choice

What is a reservation?

• A treaty between a Native American tribe and the U.S. government

• A designated period of time in which a tribe can continue to live on a plot of land

• An area of land established by the U.S. government for a Native American tribe to live on

As American settlers moved West in the early 1800s, they often attacked Native Americans to force them to give up their land. Native Americans, in turn, attacked settlers to protect their way of life. Both groups also used violence to retaliate when they felt unfairly treated. The United States government made several peace agreements with different tribes, but the USA often broke them.

Conflict
and
Prejudice

Multiple Choice

What does it mean to assimilate?

• To change your culture to fit in with the dominant culture

• To maintain your cultural independence

• To integrate new and old cultural customs

Settlers and government officials tried to persuade Native Americans to adopt farming and to sell land they could not use. But few American Indians were interested in giving up their land and their way of life.

​Forced assimilation

Georgia passed laws to take land from the native peoples. The U.S. Supreme Court declared these laws unconstitutional, but President Jackson ignored the rulings.

Worcester vs Georgia

He used the U.S. Army to help Georgia take land from Native Americans.

Forced Land Seizing

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was a common reality for many Native American tribes?

• They could live on American land as long as they did not farm on it

• They could keep their land as long as they signed a treaty

• The treaties they signed with the American government were often broken

Trail of Tears

In 1830, the U.S. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. This law allowed the federal government to force American Indians to move west. The government would take Indian lands in the east and give them other land west of the Mississippi River. They were given lands in what are now Kansas and Oklahoma.

Threatened by the U.S. military, most American Indian groups signed treaties agreeing to removal. They were forced to give up their homes and most possessions and to trek hundreds of miles. Most did not have adequate food, clothing, or shoes. Thousands died.

Multiple Choice

What was the Indian Removal Act?

• A federal law that called for the forced removal of the 5 "civilized" tribes in the southeast

• A decision by the U.S. government to help tribes become more "civilized" and assimilate to U.S. customs

• A treaty signed by the 5 civilized tribes to sell their lands to the U.S. government

Multiple Choice

As a result of the Indian Removal Act where were the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek, Choctaw and Seminole tribes forced to move to?

• Swamp lands in Florida

• Mexico

• Reservations in Oklahoma

• Reservations in California

Multiple Choice

What caused the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole to be called the 5 “civilized” tribes?

• They assimilated to American culture

• They fought for their right to their lands

• They made treaties with the American government

Multiple Choice

Which President signed the Indian Removal Act?

• Thomas Jefferson

• George Washington

• John Adams

• Andrew Jackson

Multiple Choice

According to the map provided what was an effect of the Indian Removal Act?

• Five tribes from different parts of the south were forced into one territory in Oklahoma

• Only the Cherokee tribe were forced west

• Each of the 5 tribes were given a land equal in size to the land they had occupied in the east

• 5 tribes from the west were forced to move to the east

Multiple Choice

Which of the following accurately describes the Trail of Tears?

• The law that forced 5 tribes to move west to Okalahoma

• The devastating experience of the Cherokee journey to reservations in Oklahoma

• The Cherokee tribe's decision to move west

Indian Removal Act - Primary Sources

​​Document A: Andrew Jackson (Modified)

It gives me great pleasure to announce that the benevolent policy of Indian removal has almost been achieved. We have cried for natives of this country, as one by one, many Indian tribes have disappeared from the earth. However, we must accept this the way we accept when an older generation dies and makes room for the younger.

 

The policy of the Government towards the red man is generous. The Indian is unwilling to follow the laws of the United States and wants no part in our way of life. To save the Indians from dying out, the Government kindly offers them a new home, and offer to pay the whole price of removal and settlement.

 

I have no reason, my friends, to deceive you. I honestly want what is best for you. Listen to me, therefore, while I tell you that you cannot remain where you now are.

Poll

Does the author support or oppose the Indian Removal Act?

• Support

• Oppose

Open Ended

What reasons does the author give for his support of Indian Removal?

Document B: Letter by Cherokee Leader, Elias Boudinot (Modified)

We have lost our ways as a people. How can we fix this? A bright future is being offered to us. Removal is the only choice. Our people may finally rise up and be a great people once again. I would say to my fellow Cherokee, let us agree to terms the United States are offering.

 

What other choices do we have? None, I say. You want the Cherokee to live according the laws of the United States, no matter how unfair they are to us? We have the opportunity to live on our own away from the laws of the United States. If we stay here, we will suffer. Take my word. It is the sure end of our race if we do not accept this offer. There will come a time when there will be few of us left as reminders of this brave and noble race. May God protect us all.

Multiple Choice

Does the author support or oppose the Indian Removal Act?

• Support

• Oppose

Open Ended

What reasons does the author give for his support of Indian Removal?

Document B: Letter by Cherokee Leader, Elias Boudinot (Modified)

We wish to remain on the land of our fathers. We have the right to remain without worry about being bothered. The treaties we have signed with the United States guarantee our safety on this land. We only wish you uphold your end of the agreement. If we are forced to leave, it will be terrible for us. We do not know any other land but our homes. There are already other tribes living out there. Do you think we will be welcomed? These tribes are very violent and are always at war. We are a peaceful people. They will see us as easy targets.

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 We make this final appeal to the good American people. We appeal to your compassion and sympathy. We have lived in perfect peace with you for over 40 years. We never went to war with you. What makes you think we cannot live together? This land contains the blood and bodies of our ancestors. This land is holy to us. We believe in the people of the United States to uphold our most basic rights as humans and not to invade the home of this peace-loving people.

Multiple Choice

Does the author support or oppose the Indian Removal Act?

• Support

• Oppose

Open Ended

What reasons does the author give for his opposition of Indian Removal?

Indian Removal Act

In 1830, President Jackson pushed Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act. Over 100,000 American Indians were living in the East. The Act allowed the government to take their land and move them west of the Mississippi River. Thousands died on the Trail of Tears, a brutal journey to Indian Territories in present-day Kansas and Oklahoma.

Choctaw

The Choctaw signed a removal treaty in 1830, exchanging their tribal lands for land west of the Mississippi River. Between 1831 and 1833, approximately 15,000 Choctaw moved westward, escorted by American soldiers. They endured harsh conditions, with inadequate supplies and suffering from heavy rain and snow. Many walked barefoot through snow and ice for 24 hours before finding shelter.

In 1837, the Chickasaw people agreed to move after the U.S. government promised them $3 million for their lands. They spent $500,000 to buy land from the Choctaw in present-day Oklahoma. However, the government didn't pay them for 30 years. During the journey to their new land, many Chickasaw fell ill and died, experiencing hardship akin to the Trail of Tears.

Chickasaw

From 1838-1839, President Van Buren ordered over 15,000 Cherokee to relocate westward. Many died during the journey, especially children and the elderly. The grueling trek, known as the Trail of Tears, spanned hundreds of miles over several months.

Cherokee

During the Second Seminole War, led by Chief Osceola, the Seminole people in Florida resisted removal, beginning in 1835. This war was the most expensive conflict fought over Indian lands. Despite efforts to relocate them, some Seminoles persisted, leading to the Third Seminole War starting in 1855. While Indian removal under Jackson cleared land east of the Mississippi, settlers eyed lands westward. These lands were seen as the new frontier, though already inhabited by Native Americans. Settlers viewed the frontier as wild and free for the taking.

Seminole