Indian Removal Policy of 1830

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President Andrew Jackson wanted the white settlers from the south to expand owning land from Five Indian tribes, which was called Indian Removal Policy (McNamara). The Five Indian tribes that were affected were Choctaws, Muskogee, Chickasaws, Cherokees, and the Seminoles. In the 1830, the Removal Act went into effect. The Removal Act gave President Andrew Jackson the power to remove Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi river by a negotiate removal treaties (James). The treaties, made the Indians give up their land for exchange of land in the west (James). There were a few tribes that agreed to sign the treaties. The others that did not sign the treaty were forced into leaving their land, this was known as the Trail of Tears.
Trail of Tears was the description of the journey Indians had to endure. The Indians were forced to leave their homes and families and move to the west, which is now known as Oklahoma. The Trial was not one specific road, trail, route or river traveled, the Indians traveled different routes to get to Oklahoma. Some of the Indians traveled upriver with steamboats (Sloan). Some of the Indians formed large Caravans that carried wagons full of their belongings and animals (Sloan). A lot of the Indians traveled through Arkansas to get to Oklahoma (Sloan). Tribes and other people would leave food, supplies and firewood along the way to help the Indians out (Sloan). Weather was often cold in the winter and very dry during the summer (Sloan). A lot of the Indians did not make it to Oklahoma due to them catching Diseases such as Cholera, dysentery, measles and smallpox (Sloan). They do not know exactly where “Trail of Tears” originated from some say, it started with the Choctaw since they were the first ...

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Work Cited

Chickasaw Nation. N.p., 9 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .
James, Angela. "The Trail of Tears 1830-1858." United States of America Chronology. N.p., 3 Mar. 2004. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .
McNamara, Robert. "Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears." About.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .
Murray, Dru J. "The Unconquered Seminoles." Florida History. N.p., 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .
Sloan, Kitty. "Trail of Tears." The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture . N.p., 11 Aug. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .

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